Soul Reaper Zero
by sreshtiyer
Summary: Zero died while defeating Weil. Now, he's resurrected in the bleach universe along with X and the 4 guardians with the help of Urahara, Dr Light and Ciel. Set after Rescue Rukia arc. Characters from classic series till Megaman Zero appear. Heroes of the past and present join forces to face Aizen. Multiple pairings. U dont need to know MMZ story to read, as it's explained in detail
1. Chapter 1: Reborn Anew

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Megaman Zero, and I make no profit from this.**

 **Note: I'm a huge fan of the Megaman series, and I've wanted to try making this for a while now. The story takes place sometime after Dr Weil's defeat. Zero, the four Guardians, X are all gone and have been resurrected in the bleach universe, during the arrancar arc, after Aizen's defection. More about this is explained in the story below. Multiple Pairings inside, both with bleach and megaman characters. The story is altered to adapt the new characters and does not follow the original story. You can expect even minor characters to play a major role, one for example, is Yuzu getting powers, out of many other character roles as the story progresses. I'll try to avoid grammar mistakes as much as possible, and please do leave a review so I can improve myself. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1:- Reborn Anew**

" _Zero…Zero…..Wake up…"_

Zero stirred slowly, as he tried to make out the voice calling out to him. As he tried opening his eyes, he could only vaguely make out two figures looking at him from his sides. He seemed to be lying in some sort of a bed, in a small, Japanese styled room, with complicated looking machinery surrounding almost the entire space save for a door directly in front of him. As he came to, his vision got clearer and he had a look at the two men standing in front of him. One was a tall, lean-built man with light skin and gray eyes. His hair was messy and light-blond, with strands framing the sides of the face and hanging between his eyes, and he had a chin stubble. He wore a dark coat, which sported a white diamond pattern along its bottom half, with a dark green shirt and pants underneath. The other was a stout, old man with fluffy white hair and a large beard that reached his upper chest. He wore a scientist's lab coat and western shoes.

"Zero, how are you holding up?" asked the scientist. "Urgh….who are you people?" inquired zero.

"I'm light, and he's Kisuke Urahara. We, along with the help of another, have resurrected you after your battle in Ragnorok. There is a crisis at hand and although you should not have to involve yourself with anymore fighting, I'm afraid we've no choice. I'm truly sorry Zero."

"Wait, hold on, this is all so confusing….first off, how am I here? The last thing I remember is Ragnorok being destroyed, while I defeated Weil. I was sure I would die. Where is this place? What happened to the Ciel and the resistance forces? Is Area Zero ok?" trailed off zero. "My my you have a lot of questions…well then again, I suppose for someone in **your** position it's to be expected" said the other man, whilst opening a Japanese fan and covering his face. To answer your first question, I suggest you first take a look at yourself" he continued, pointing to a mirror in the room. As he went up to the mirror, what he saw shocked him thoroughly. The first thing he noticed was that his helmet was missing, replaced by long blonde hair with fringes covering his forehead (he now had a forehead, and ears where his visor used to be there). He wore a black body suit, with the difference being that the armor on his arms, legs and chest were all missing. His form was that of a tall, athletic man in his twenties, and a seasoned face of a fighter. " _It's as if I'm a human now"_ he thought to himself, being awed at the same time.

"In order to explain what's happened to you, I suppose it's better to call in 'them' as well" remarked Urahara. "Hey you guys, come on in, he's regained consciousness" he shouted. Zero watched in wide-eyed, as the figures of Harpuia, Leviathan, Fefnir, Phantom and X slowly made their way in to the small room. What was even more surprising was the fact that none of them looked like how he remembered them. All of them were wearing the same black body suit that he was in, except for a few major changes. All of them now looked human just like him, Harpuia had short, straight, forest green hair, a thin build of average height and Leviathan had long, ocean blue hair that reached her lower back, with fringes covering her forehead, a tall, curvaceous figure of a woman in her early twenties. Fefnir had flaming red short, spiky hair and a muscular build that gave of an aura of power, sporting a familiar grin pasted on his face, while Phantom just looked with a blank expression, sporting violet black hair tied in a short ponytail, his figure slightly short, lean and flexible. His best friend, on the other hand was what surprised him the most. Gone was all that blue covering his body and replaced by the same black suit with a similar build to his own, only slightly shorter than himself. He greeted him with a warm smile, light brown hair covering his head.

"You guys! You're all still alive!" exclaimed zero. "Yeah, I'm still surprised as well" replied Harpuia. "I'm hoping oji-san here can explain it to all of us as well" added Leviathan.

"Of course, that is the reason we've gathered you all here, but we are still short of one more member." Answered Dr Light, "Mr Urahara, can you fetch her please?" "Don't worry, I've already sent Yorouchi to get her". "Someone called me?" asked a feminine voice from behind the door, accompanied by brief sound, following which two women entered the room. One of them was a slender, dark-skinned woman of average height and a very curvaceous figure with golden-colored eyes and long violet hair, which she kept up in a ponytail. Her attire consisted of a black, backless, sleeveless undershirt, an orange over-shirt with two white straps on each shoulder, a large beige sash around her waist, and black stretch pants with a pair of lightweight brown shoes. The person next to her was…

"Ciel…." Whispered zero slowly, a lot of emotions rushing to him at once. "Zero, you really came back…..just like you promised me….I'm so glad!" she replied slowly, as she ran forward and hugged him. She also looked different than the last time he'd seen her. She looked much older now, almost in her mid-twenties, with a much mature looking face, a slightly taller, curvaceous figure and her hair was also longer. She still wore the same pink outfit consisting of a helmet, a sleeveless dress, a Resistance vest, plated high heels and white gloves along with a long pink jacket.

"C..Ciel..!" he looked away and blushed " Y..Yeah, sorry about that, I won't worry you again, I promise" he apologized. "Ahem…, although that was touching, can we get back to focus here?" scowled Harpuia, which made the two break apart, whilst looking away and blushing. The others just giggled.

"Well then, let us begin…." started Urahara, gaining the attention of everyone present.

 **That's it folks! Hope it was a good start! I'll try to update it weekly, and if possible, I'll do two chapters per week. Let me know your thoughts and do drop in a review, since I'm still new at this. Thanks again for reading! :D :D**


	2. Chapter 2: A Little Backstory

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Megaman. I make no profit from this.**

 **Note:- I had some time to kill, so I'm posting this chapter earlier than I said I would. Again, these two chapters would serve as intro chapters to assimilate the characters into the bleach universe and also fit them into the story. Everything from their roles, powers etc will be explained in these two chapters and also as the story progresses. Updates will be weekly, if not sooner. The only reason I won't update is if I have other important work to do. Without further ado, here's chapter two. Enjoy!**

 **EDIT:-I re-uploaded this chapter to explain the entire story line of Megaman timeline in much, much more detail. This way, even if you are unaware of the story, you can still enjoy reading this knowing only Bleach story. Sorry if it's only dialogues, but since the story is explained in this one, it is more or less dialogues. Only this chapter will be like this. If you have an idea about the story already, you may skip various sections in this chapter.**

 **Chapter 2- A little backstory**

"Well then, let's begin" said Urahara. "As you already know, I'm Dr Thomas….." started Dr Light, only to be interrupted by a masculine voice calling out someone at the store entrance. "Hey, Mr Hat-and-Clogs, are you in there?"

"Seems like we have a visitor" remarked Urahara. "Yoruichi, would you mind getting the door?" "I'm on it" she replied before disappearing in a flash.

A moment later, she returned with a large gang consisting of people from teenagers, to adolescents and even what seemed like an elementary school kid, with silver hair no less. "Kisuke, the soul society seems to have sent reinforcements, now that the arrancars have made their move". "I see….well, this is perfect timing. It would've been to pain to explain this to the soul society, and besides, it's better too if they the people who would be fighting alongside them in the upcoming battle. "What do you…." asked Toshiro, before being interrupted by Kisuke. "Like I said, it's better if we do this with everyone present, but this place is a bit cramped, let's go down". Thus everyone made their way to the underground training grounds, though the thought about how such a place existed underneath such a small place did cross the minds of many present.

Everyone picked a rock to sit upon, and formed a huge circle. They all had questioning looks, as if waiting for someone to make sense. The silence was finally broken when Urahara started. "I'll first start by saying that Dr Light, Ciel, and the rest of them here" he said, as he pointed out each individual, "are not from this world, and I don't mean the world of the living, soul society or even Heuco Mundo. I mean they seem to be from an alternate dimension altogether. Although how they got here puzzles even me. So, I'll let Dr Light continue from here"

"As he already mentioned, I'm Dr Thomas Light. In the world where I can from Robots were a common place among humans, and I created a…..". "What's a Robot?" asked many of the soul reapers and even Kisuke and Yoruichi. "A robot is a machine, designed to be just like humans, emotions and all, created by humans. They look just like us and even are capable of living together with us like humans. But with that also came potential for war and misuse of robots for causing them. Hence I created a robot that could 'think', one that had the potential to evolve. He had limitless potential, so I called him 'X', a name befitting his variable nature" he finished, pointing to X. Everyone just silently looked at X with surprised looks. But X only smiled. "But soon after I created him, I had to seal him away, because you see, just like how each of us is unique, with unique ideas and minds, X was too. It was too early for him to enter the world and for the world to accept him as he was then. So I sealed him away setting it so that his capsule would open itself after 30 years."

"But things were not meant to be" continued X, " For it was not until 100 years that a scientist like Dr Light, called Dr Cain discovered my capsule and after hearing the message left by Dr Light, he deemed it safe to open my capsule".

"Wow….asleep for a hundred years…" said Orihime

"Wait, you are….were a robot right? Could you even go to sleep?" asked Ichigo.

"Good point, Dr Light designed us to be like humans, so yes, I could go to sleep but this was different from how humans went to sleep, I remained in a sort of 'low power' mode, not truly aware of my surroundings, but not truly in 'slumber' either. I guess you could call it some sort of hibernation" replied X.

"Anyways, after I was discovered by Dr Cain, he was amazed by my design, to say the least. Never had he seen a reploid with a mind of its own, with the power to make its own choices. So he started studying me in more detail and created many other reploids from my design. People called him the father of reploids. All of the reploids he created had their own individual wills, able to make and think about their own choices. The very first reploid was called Sigma. He was a really powerful reploid, the strongest, in fact. He was therefore made in charge of a group called 'maverick hunters'.

"What's a maverick?" interrupted Toshiro.

"Well, mavericks are basically reploids that went bad, caused destruction and hurt humans, to put it simply. The causes are still unknown, but whatever it was, their programming was rewritten and good reploids became 'mavericks' after being infected by this 'maverick virus'." Said Zero

"No one knows who created it, but I know one thing for sure. One day, a very powerful maverick, who had been causing trouble for many days had finally been found in an abandoned factory. Sigma himself lead the assault. It became apparent that the original carrier of this virus was this maverick, since whoever came in contact with him ended up being infected. So, when Sigma confronted him, after a fierce battle, Sigma came out, critically wounded but victorious, along with the maverick. He asked us to take him to maverick hunter base and have him join us. Ever since that day, Sigma had been acting odd, and the maverick was totally fine, showing no trace of the virus existing in him. He became one of the best hunters ever. Sigma on the other hand, started appearing less and less, always being away doing something shady. He started secluding himself, keeping himself away from people. Plus, ever since that fateful day, maverick attacks became more and more frequent. Then finally, one day, Sigma revealed his true colors, he had BECOME the carrier of the virus. Apparently, after fighting that maverick, somehow, the virus transferred from him to Sigma, causing him to go maverick. He then rebelled against everything and destroyed the city with missiles, causing millions to die…"

A few looked on with sympathetic faces.

"But the worst part was when I learnt that the maverick, the source of all this was none other than Zero, my best friend…."

This caused the crowd to have shocked reactions. Orihime and Ciel covered their mouth, shocked. Rukia, Renji, Toshiro and Rangiku looked over to Zero, as if doubting such a thing was possible. I mean sure, they had just met, but he didn't give off an aura of someone like that. Even Urahara and Yorouchi were taking time to digest this. Ichigo simply stood, speechless.

"Even I hadn't know at the time….my memories of the time before I entered the maverick hunter base were still hazy. I couldn't forgive Sigma for what he did, and the blame was partially on me too. So I vowed to destroy him once and for all" commented Zero. "Sigma started gathering powerful reploids as his allies and made plans to lay waste to the world. Me and X foiled his plans many times, but he never gave up. He even tried to spread the 'Sigma Virus' to cover the entire earth once, but somehow, we pulled through, but after we almost died. Eventually, we gained another comrade, Axl, who became consequential in the defeat of Sigma. Finally, after many battles, we finally managed to lay waste to Sigma once and for all, through our combined efforts." Finished zero.

"That's when I decided. It was found out that the virus still resided in my body, and although dormant, it could pose a threat in the future. It was recommended that I hibernate for about a 100 years or so, so that the virus would safely disappear. I never wanted anyone else to suffer because of me. So, without even telling X here, I went off to hibernate".

"Obviously I tried to stop him" said X. "But he was adamant. He wouldn't listen to me. Finally, after much argument, I too thought if that was what he wanted, then so be it. I could keep things in check until the day he returned".

"You guys….are something else…..talking about a 100 years like it's nothing…." remarked Chad.

"Well, we soul reapers also live for very long periods of time, and perceive time differently…but still, a 100 years is still a really long time, even for us…." Said Rukia.

"Yes….probably it is, but since I was a reploid, I could endure it. If it meant that humanity would prosper, then this was inconsequential" replied X.

Ichigo listened, a small smile formed on his face. He had newfound respect for the guy, for he reminded him of himself, one who was willing to go to any lengths for his comrades and one who would protect those he cared about. Even the soul reapers beamed at his words.

"Well anyways, trouble never stopped even after Zero went to sleep. I did some digging and from lost archives I found out that Zero was created around the same time I was by a certain 'Dr Wily', who was Dr Light's ex-colleague turned evil who planned for world domination. He always used to make ploys to destroy the world, only to be foiled by Dr Light here. Finally, having had enough, he created Zero here, along with the Maverick Virus in him" continued X.

"Wait…..Wily created Zero?!" remarked Light. He was unaware that his old arch nemesis was the one responsible for the creation of the first Maverick. He always knew wily would never go down easy, but whatever he had done up until now paled in comparison to his final masterpiece.

"That's right….and not just him, he also made the maverick virus, which meant that everything originated from him. He was the sole root cause of everything that happened and that was to follow." Replied X. "As I said, trouble never left, even after Zero's sleep, since Mavericks still continued to exist. So, I created a safe haven, called Neo-Arcadia for the humans and reploids to live in peacefully, hand in hand. There were few who were unhappy with this system, and amongst them was a genius scientist called Dr Weil….." X shuddered after mentioning Weil's name.

"How is it that every time something bad happens, an 'evil scientist' is behind it all?" asked Ikakku.

"Beats me, some might call it human greed for power, but I've seen better people too. I suppose power tends to corrupt people who have morals or principles…or perhaps its due to the individual nature of every person…..or maybe there's something else that makes one truly 'human', different from reploids like us" commented X.

"This genius scientist was one who excelled in bringing dead reploids back to life, there was probably no one who could beat his intellect. You see, we finally seemed to have a plausible solution to the maverick problem. We have what we call 'Cyber-Elves', sentinent beings made up of pure energy and out of them, the first Cyber-Elf, called mother elf, was a powerful being who had the ability to turn mavericks to normal"

"Wait a sec….I didn't get this whole Cyber-Elf thing…." Said Renji.

"Well basically, if I had to give a comparison, from what I understand, I would say that if a normal human were to be compared to a reploid, then a cyber elf would be the soul, correct?" asked Urahara

"Hmm…not exactly Urahara-san" replied Ciel. "You could think of cyber elves as programs given form in this world…..computer programs written by humans you could say, although that's a very crude way of putting it. Each one is made in the image of elves, hence the name. They have individual personalities and abilities, and they can be used to augment the power of reploids by enhancing their abilities. But once a cyber elf is used, it ceases to exist. Hence, many don't like to use cyber elves often since they are very similar to us…beings with their own minds and personalities". "Although, many reploids can be turned into cyber elves after their death…..this was one of the powers of Mother elf….and also, it was because of her that we were able to get here and the souls of Zero, X and the 4 guardians into this dimension."

"Hence her existence did not go unnoticed by Dr Weil. After I used the Mother Elf to delete the Sigma Virus, the number of Mavericks decreased significantly. It was at this point that the human scientist Dr. Weil proposed Project Elpizo: a plan to control all Reploids by combining the Mother Elf's rewriting abilities with a Reploid created to be a perfect ruler. Although I opposed this operation and Dr. Weil's "philosophy of rule" with his own "philosophy of coexistence", a fear of a long-lasting war resulted in increasing support for Project Elpizo." Said X.

"To further his own secret agenda of a new world order with him as ruler, Dr. Weil instigated the Elf Wars by stealing the Mother Elf herself and corrupting her with a "curse" that turned her into the Dark Elf. Dr. Weil then created the Baby Elves, infant copies of the Dark Elf which he used to make Reploids turn Maverick and fight each other on a grand scale, plunging the world into chaos. With full support from the human government, Dr. Weil continued Project Elpizo and attempted to exert total control over all Reploids in the world by combining the Dark Elf with the Reploid Omega. Omega was constructed from the body of Zero (who was in stasis at the time) because Dr. Weil believed that a body immune to infection would be the perfect weapon to end the Maverick Wars."

" _So that's when Omega took over my body…..well, not that it matters now"_ thought Zero.

"Zero's brain/soul wasn't in his body, and he was given a new body to help in the fight against Weil. I continued to fight in the front lines against Mavericks and deleting the evil Baby Elves, until I was joined by Zero and Axl. Together, Zero,Axl and I worked to capture the Dark Elf and eventually used her power to turn the tide of the battle. When the war reached its final stretch, Dr. Weil unleashed the completed Omega in the battlefield, revealing his true ambitions to the world. Under Dr. Weil's orders, Omega, supported by an army of Golems, slaughtered countless humans and Reploids alike….After a long struggle, Zero and I defeated Omega with a Final Strike and Weil was stopped by Axl right before he could combine Omega with the Dark Elf, putting an end to four years of devastating conflict." Finished X.

Everyone just stayed silent, absorbing all the information they just got. They couldn't believe that the people sitting in front of them were war veterans, having struggled through decades of fighting. They could imagine the pain they had to go through, even if they were just reploids, they still had the capability to think like humans. Even the 4 Guardians were having second thoughts about their feelings for Zero and X and what they thought about the two.

"Although Omega managed to survive the final battle, the "Devil Reploid" was sentenced to perpetual exile on Earth's orbit within the Forbidden Ark, a spaceship in outer space, whereas Dr. Weil was punished in a similar yet unprecedented manner: away from public eyes, the human survivors modified Dr. Weil's old body, turning him into a cyborg encased in regenerative armor. Dr. Weil's memories were converted into program data so that he would never forget what he had done, and he was banished, doomed to suffer for eternity in the wastelands of the war." Continued Zero.

"Even though Zero fought bravely in the wars, he feared that his presence would cause history to repeat itself and willingly returned to stasis. X moved on to the city of Neo Arcadia to finally bring peace and stability to the survivors. All existing records of the Elf Wars and the crimes committed by Dr. Weil were eventually disposed of in order to protect the reputation of the government of the pro-human utopia. Over time, the people of Neo Arcadia would forget Dr. Weil and his sin, and X continued to govern Neo Arcadia until the day he was forced to sacrifice his own body to keep the Dark Elf sealed in Yggdrasil, a vault in the deep most recess in Neo Arcadia." Said Dr Light.

"After leaving my body, my 'consciousness' continued to exist in cyber elf form. Decades had passed since Zero's departure. With the goal of creating a utopia for humans and Reploids, Neo Arcadian researchers began to produce humans with altered DNA. Some of these humans were children born specifically to develop better Reploids to assist in the research. Ciel was one of these children, and stood out as a prodigy, being able to learn just by watching and mimicking experiments." Said X, pointing to Ciel. She just looked down, blushing. No one had complimented her before, this was something very new to her.

"Ciel became a Reploid researcher that worked for Neo Arcadia. When I disappeared after sealing the dark elf, Ciel created a copy of me to replace me when she was nine years old. Additionally, one of her ancestors, another female scientist, was apparently directly responsible for the creation of the original Mother Elf, from which all other Cyber-elves were spawned." Said X.

"Woah….she was 9 when she created your copy?! And her ancestor was the one who created that Mother Elf?!" exclaimed Zero. "I didn't know you were so amazing, Ciel! Beamed Zero, causing the blonde scientist to again blush and look away.

"A line of geniuses huh?" wondered Orihime.

"I bet she could've whooped even Uryu's ass if she came to karakura high" smirked Ichigo, looking at Uryu's direction. Uryu just glared in his direction.

"I don't think it's a bad idea….I think it'll be fun!" chimed Orihime

"I just hope you don't catch the attention of the 12th division…..I can only imagine Captain Kurotsuchi's look if another person managed to best him…he isn't happy with Urahara as it is" shuddered Rukia, causing the others to burst out laughing.

"Well, she IS the one who helped me revive you guys…..It would've been impossible by myself' said Urahara.

"That reminds me…..how did you guys end up here then? I mean, so far everything seems fine" asked Rangiku.

"Yes, well, after copy X occupied neo arcadia's seat, he took leadership of every activity in Neo arcadia. In fact, no one but the top officials know about the switch between me and copy X. Around the same time, the Four Guardians were created to fulfill Neo Arcadia's second objective of restoring the world from the marks of war, making it habitable again, while also protecting Neo Arcadia from Maverick uprisings. They were all created as my clones, each one specializing in their respective units. The Strong Air Battalion or 'Rekku Gundan' specializing in aerial activities led by Sage Harpuia, The Scorched Earth Squadron or 'Jin'en Gundan' specializing in ground troops led by Fighting Fefnir, The Deep Sea Squadron or 'Meikai Gundan ': the naval and subterranean underwater forces led by Fairy Leviathan and finally the stealth force, Cutting Shadow Squadron or 'Zan'ei Gundan' led by Hidden Phantom." Explained X. " Things were fine for a while, until copy X decided to retire countless reploids for the sake of forcibly maintaining peace, and also to solve the energy crisis which was at hand."

"That's when I defected from Neo Arcadia and formed the resistance. Our only hope was to find the legendary maverick hunter, Zero, whom many didn't even believe existed. We broke into neo arcadia, entered Zero's vault, but not before many of my comrades lost their lives. I too barely escaped, if Zero hadn't been there….." Ciel trailed off.

"After that, I joined the fight against the neo arcadian forces, helping the resistance with its goals. First, I destroyed copy X to stop his goals, but I barely got out of neo arcadia alive. I wandered for about a year, during which Ciel rebuilt with the help of an ex-neo arcadian, elpizo. He was the commander of the resistance. Ciel found me in the dessert and I later came to know that elpizo was planning to destroy neo arcadia for its twisted system. But, he became corrupted by his lust for power, he destroyed the body of original X and released the dark elf within it….." continued Zero.

"I..I couldn't look in the face of the 4 guardians" he said, turning towards them. "You asked me to protect X, I…failed to do so….failed to save my friend from dying" he said in a soft voice. "I then took care of Elpizo. At least during his death, he had learnt his lesson, so the Dark Elf gave him a second chance, turned him into a cyber elf"

"But things were only going to get more difficult, for the Dark Elf was now free." Said X.

"After a few months, the forbidden ark, carrying Omega crashed somewhere near neo arcadia. My suspicions were confirmed….Weil had returned, and so did Omega."

"Weil….he began his plans for world domination yet again. Only this time, he had Neo Arcadia to back him up. He bought back another copy of X and using him, he ruled over Neo Arcadia, and finally, after making good use of him, took Neo Arcadia for his own. The 4 guardians defected and formed a partial truce with the resistance. Weil then captured the Dark Elf and combined it with Omega, reviving his true form. No one could match his power. Even zero here had some trouble with him. Finally, when the time for confrontation came, he revealed Omega for who he really was, a reploid who occupied Zero's true body. But he didn't have his soul, so all he was a killing machine. Combined with the power of the Dark Elf, he was undefeated. But with the help of Original X and the 4 Guardians, the curse on her began to weaken and Omega became vulnerable. Zero destroyed Omega, but this cost the lives of the 4 guardians as well. Zero was protected from the explosion by the now revived Mother Elf. X too couldn't stay long in the world in Cyber Elf form and hence he too disappeared" Said Ciel.

"Now all that was left was Weil himself….knowing him, it was impossible to tell what would come next. You see, we recently discovered that a natural human settlement, where nature still existed was found. Many of the humans fled to Area Zero, the human settlement to escape Weil's clutches. But he continued to terrorize those inside Neo Arcadia, and those outside. He built a space cannon called Ragnorok, and planned to destroy Area Zero with it so that no one defied him ever again. After a long fight, I finally reached Weil hiding in the core of ragnorok. He fused with it and hence obtained insane power. He planned to crash it with Area Zero and destroy it. I managed to finish him off and prevent the crash but I lost my life as well. After that, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in this world." Finished Zero.

"After that, I continued to make sure Area Zero was a place of peace, where reploids and humans could walk hand in hand without having to fight. I died a few years later from an illness. And just like everyone else here, when I opened my eyes again, I found myself here, where Urahara-san took me and Dr Light in. Then, after getting accustomed to our soul forms, we found the reploid heroes in cyber elf forms in this world. We got about creating bodies for them. Cyber-Elfs are basically a person's…..being's personality, their essence given an ethereal form. You could say they simply lacked retainers. So Urahara-san went to the valley of screams and gathered blanks, souls without memories or personalities and combined them with the cyber elves we found to give them the form you see them in now. The cyber elf form modified the blank's bodies to a form matching their memories. So they have the form you see now" finished Ciel.

Everyone was slowly taking in all that was just said, Ichigo's group, the soul reapers and even the reploid-turned-humans. Zero, in particular, seemed to have regained all of his memories privy to his hibernation, thanks to the Mother elf who, while turning Zero into a cyber elf, restored all of his memories in the process. It all came back flooding in like a torrent. " _It's been a long, long journey_ " he thought to himself.

"But where have we ended up?" asked X.

"Aah, allow me to explain" volunteered Rukia, with a sketch book in hand.

"I can see where this is going" thought Ichigo with a deadpanned expression.

"The world of the living is as it sounds, a world where the living reside. Once a human dies, their souls leave their bodies and stays behind. A soul reaper is one who guides these souls and also protects them from hollows. Hollows are corrupt souls that devour living souls". The newcomers flinched at hearing this.

"Guided souls end up in the soul society, where souls reside. You could say it's the afterlife. Heuco Mundo is where hollows reside". She then continued about Aizen, his betrayal, and the current status of the soul society and the appearance of arrancars, all the while drawing furiously to keep up with the explanation.

"Thanks for the heads up, but why does your drawing suck so bad?" asked zero, before being hit by the sketchbook, followed by a glare from Rukia. All of them sweatdropped and Ichigo suppressed a laugh.

" _Well, can't exactly blame the guy, I remember my first time that happened too_ " recalled Ichigo.

"Well now, it's a lot to take in and I'll give you guys some time while getting some refreshments" stated Urahara, before leaving the room with Yoruichi.


	3. Chapter 3: A New Threat?

**Note:-Thanks for the support and reviews, I'm still new to this, so I'll try to make it as interesting as possible. Do review the story so I know where I can improve myself. As I mention last chapter, this chapter is part of the intro chapters, giving time for the characters to kinda 'fit in'. There's also a few surprises in this one. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 3:-A new threat?**

After urahara left, everyone just stayed silent for a while. Orihime then broke the silence "Wow…so then you all have been protecting humanity for centuries together, it must have been really painful, to have to constantly fight for so long". "You're right…it was so painful and also so sad, especially when zero went to sleep, I had to face my battles all alone. But that wasn't even the hardest part. It was when I discovered that I no longer cared about fighting enemies. But I still fought for what I believed in, to defend humanity, I had something I wanted to protect, and that was all the drive I needed. Even now, I feel honored to have been given a chance to protect humans, from a threat possibly far greater than maverics could ever pose".

"Don't worry, I promise you, you won't have to fight alone anymore, we will fight alongside you" said Ichigo. "But you guys don't have powers right now right? I mean, you just look like normal souls to me now, you don't have your abilities you had in your world and I doubt such advanced technology could exist in this time. What will you do?" asked Yumichika.

"I'm glad you asked!" came a voice from behind, Urahara answering in his sing-song voice. "That's why I'm glad you all are here. You can help train them! I'm sure they were also skilled in use of weapons, apart from their use of powers. I just happen to have enough zanpakuto here, so I believe awakening their powers as a Shinigami is the best solution. We also have enough people here to train all the 6 at once, so this should save time too" he remarked.

As he climbed down, everyone noticed that he carried normal looking katanas and also what seemed to be Shinigami uniform. He then went over to each one of them and handed over the uniforms and the zanpakuto. "Are you sure about this, Urahara?" asked Rukia. "I don't see what you're so worried about" remarked Rangiku. "After all, we get to be with _such_ handsome men! I can't wait to get started" she continued, playfully, as she leaned towards X and Zero. Ciel and Rukia both blushed, hiding their faces, while X and Zero looked away, blushing. Harpuia just had a horrified expression, as if he saw a ghost, and phantom nodded his head in disapproval, as if he couldn't believe such a thing was happening. Leviathan, on the other hand, edged over to Rangiku, whilst saying, "I know right? Zero is especially a lot of fun! I remember the times I waited for Zero to show up so he could liven things up!" and winked at Zero, again causing the blonde to blush. "Hey master X isn't a play thing!" shouted Fefnir, glaring at Leviathan. "Aww come on don't say that. I'm sure she didn't mean Master X, am I right?" She asked, looking at the orange blonde woman. Her silence caused her smile to fad slightly. "Let me make one thing clear guys, don't call me Master, we are no longer in neo arcadia. Just call me X." said X.

"But…."

"No buts, my 'copies' may have commanded that authority, but not me. The way I see it, we're all the same now. Comrades. So no more of this 'Master' business please. Promise me." he said firmly. Zero smiled, watching him say so. _"That's so like him. Humble and too nice for his own good"._ "Yes" they replied in unison.

"Well then, now that that's clear, let's begin with the training. Before we begin training in groups, I believe we should have a one-on-one spar so everyone is familiar with their abilities and fighting groups can be chosen appropriately. Zero, X and the 4 guardians, go change into your uniforms, and we can begin"

The six made their way upstairs and returned, changing into their Shihakushou. "I can't wait to see them in the soul society!" said Rangiku while looking mostly at the males. "Rangiku, would you please take this more seriously!" rebuked Hitsugaya, scowling. "Taichou, you're no fun at all" she replied smugly. "I just hope they can give me a decent challenge, that orange haired kid looks like he might be a formidable foe" said Ikakku, grinning. When they all came, Uryu asked "So, who would like to go first?"

"I'm game" answered Zero.

"Well then, I'll fight him" said Ichigo.

 **Los Noches, Hueco Mundo-**

Aizen Sosuke watched as the group of 20 arrancars he made with the hougyoku started making a commotion, arguing about something. This by itself wouldn't catch his attention, as he was used to seeing this on a daily basis. But what happened next did pique his interest. All of a sudden, the doors to the room burst open, with several of the guard's bodies flying across.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Sounds like intruders"

"Who would dare enter here of all places?"

"They're gonna die for sure"

"Imma gonna rip em to pieces!"

"All of you calm down" stated General Tosen, following which the voices died down.

As the voices died, all of those present saw a figure walk into the hall.

"And who might you be?" asked Aizen

"Hehe how rude of me to not introduce myself. My name is Dr Weil"

 **That's it! Sorry for the short chapter, if I continued, it might have been too long, so I split it here. Next up, Ichigo vs Zero. Hope you liked it! To clarify, I've made small changes to the original bleach storyline. This is immediately after Ichigo gets back to Karakura after rescuing Rukia. She has regained her powers, and the encounter with Yami and Ulquiora is also different, and is yet to happen. Hope you liked the little part at the end!**


	4. Chapter 4: Ichigo vs Zero

**I'll try to make chapters longer from this point onwards, since I felt the previous ones were kinda short. Anyways, here goes.**

 **Chapter 4:- Ichigo vs Zero**

Both fighters got into their stance, zero drew his sword and twirled it in his fingers, getting used to the swords weight and getting a feel for it. It felt kinda strange, since his Z-Sabre practically weighed nothing, so it allowed him to wield it with unimaginable speeds and deadly accuracy. Plus, its edge never wore, since it was made of light particles, and this metal sword looks like it could break by just parrying Ichigo's huge sword once or twice. Still, swordplay wasn't his only strength. "Here I come" declared Ichigo, before 'unsheathing' Zangetsu from its cloth wrap and pointing it towards him. Without warning, he dashed forwards, swinging diagonally at Zero. Zero read it from a mile away and sidestepped, then countering by swinging his sword horizontally, aiming at his torso. Ichigo, who hadn't expected him to be so swift, barely blocked it before jumping back a bit.

"Guy's got some good reflexes" said Ikakku.

"Yeah, and Ichigo isn't some slouch either, the guy did say he was fighting for over centuries" said Yumichika.

Zero then dashed forward and did a forward rising slash." _ **Ryuenjin!"**_

"Whoa" Ichigo flash-stepped away, avoiding the attack, but what surprised him was that he had to use flash step to avoid it. "What was that?" Asked zero, as he landed.

"How did he disappear like that? Did he teleport?" asked leviathan.

"No, that's a technique called flash step. It's basically very high speed short distance movement" answered Chad.

"Wait, so he just _moved_!? And it was so fast that we couldn't see anything!" exclaimed phantom. "Even harpuia, who's the fastest amongst us, isn't anywhere near that close" he added.

"Tch" Harpuia clearly wasn't happy the way phantom said it, he did not like the fact that the speed, that he prided on so much was put down so easily. " _If normal people like him can do it, I can too"_

Now, Ichigo rushed forward and delivered a series of high speed slashes, from multiple directions, some of which zero parried, others which he dodged. Stepping back, he thrust his sword in a swift manner. " _ **Raijingeki!**_ " Zero brought Zangetsu and blocked it with its wide side. As zero regained his stance, Ichigo jumped and brought Zangetsu down, as if meant to cleave him in two. Zero, stepping back, curved his sword in an attempt to block it. As Zangetsu connected, Zero felt every fiber of his being vibrate from the force, as he barely maintained the posture. Putting everything behind his back, he forced himself to push away Zangetsu, which he did so successfully. He could feel himself getting tires, apparent from the heavy gasps and sweat gathering at his brow. It all felt very new for him, pain, fatigue, the feeling of his muscles getting strained and tired. He'd never felt anything like this when he was just a reploid, and being a human took a lot more than just a machine.

"Alright, that'll do! We know Mr Zero is really apt at Zanjutsu. With a little more training, I believe he can learn Flash step and even awaken his Zanpakuto. Let's see how well he does with Kido" said Urahara.

"What do you mean by 'Awaken my Zanpakuto'?" asked Zero.

"Every soul reaper has a Zanpakuto, and as the soul reaper becomes more attuned to using his sword, more of the spirit of the Soul Reaper begins to reside in the sword and take form. The sword, now an integral part of the Soul Reaper, begins to form the very core of his/her powers. The individual form and powers depends on the Soul Reaper in question, and each sword has a unique name. For example…."

Urahara drew his sword from his walking stick, and called out "Awaken _,_ _ **Benihime**_ _"_ _ **.**_

Everyone watched as the sword was bathed in a white glow, following which the sword took the form of a sleek, medium-sized sword. The hilt's grip, which had a gentle black-decorative wrapping, bent forward at the end, with a pommel shaped overlapped three times, and a crimson tassel dangling from its base. Instead of a tsuba, there was a U-shape guard covering three inches of blade, with a flower petal design. At the base of the guard was a red string wrapped thrice around the hilt, with a three-loop bow on the back side and a folded paper decoration on the front side. The blades hamon was straight, colored black with a silver edge, and was somewhat thicker than the cane-sealed state. It remained straight and slim with a somewhat short size, with the tip ending in a slanted razor-like edge instead of tapering to a point.

"So that's what a Zanpakuto release is….." remarked harpuia.

"I can't wait to awaken my powers too!" chimed Leviathan

"Yeah! I want one with the most firepower!" grinned Fefnir, smashing together his fists.

"Now now, everyone will have their turns" said Urahara. "For now, let's look at Zero's Kido affinity".

"Zero, you know what 'spirit energy' is right?" he asked

"Yeah, I kinda know the basic gist of it, and whilst fighting Ichigo, I could feel something stir in my body. I believe that's what you call spirit energy right?"

"Exactly Right! You see, Kido is a form of Shinigami combat based on advanced spells. These spells are produced with strong Reiryoku and fall into two categories: Hadō for direct attacks, and Bakudō for battle support. It is one of the techniques in the Zankensoki, the group of Shinigami primary combat skills. Kido spells are triggered by an incantation. Experienced users can trigger them without an incantation, though the effectiveness of the spell may be diminished." He explained.

He then took out a handbook and handed it to him. "That contains a list of all known Kido, just try out whatever spell you want from that. Oh, and I should also mention, Kido goes from 1 to 99, 1 being the weakest and 99 being the strongest. Kido from 90-99 are forbidden and for a good reason. They contain so much power, they pose a danger to those around and to themselves."

Zero then stepped forward, after having found one, he then walked a bit away from the others as they looked on curiously as to what he was about to do. The blonde then turned to face a huge pile of rocks, after which he raised his hands and uttered " _Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy!"_

"Wait is he...?!" exclaimed Urahara.

"No way…." Said Yoruichi.

The others all watched with surprised and wide eyed looks as he completed his chant. " _Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!_ _ **Hado 90, Kurohitsugi!**_ "

A black coffin enveloped the rocks, and multiple spears seemed to pierce them, after which the coffin broke down, to reveal heavily perforated rocks in their place.

"I hadn't expected you to be able to cast that one." Remarked Urahara

"But you do realize that wasn't its full power right?" he asked

"Yes"

"You seemed to be the type who wasn't used to energy based attacks, and relied solely on your sword, clearly I was mistaken" said Uryu.

"No, you're right. Even back then, I always used to use my sword, I never relied on projectiles or energy based attacks. That was never my forte. But I guess I just wanted to cover that up here" he replied.

"Well, what do you know, you're something else aren't you?" asked Renji. "I'm sure the captain would love to have you in our squad".

"Alright! Who's next?"

Next up was, X, who first faced off against Renji. It was apparent he had almost no experience holding a sword, since he only dodged renji's attacks and almost never attacked. Even his stance was weak and clumsy. "I guess I gotta improve on my sword skills now, I always had my X-Buster, and so I never had the need to use a sword" he said, panting as the two stopped. "I'll say…most of the enemies we face fight with swords, so you gotta man up fast. Although, there are other ways of fighting, so I guess if you have some other style of fighting, it's cool" said Renji. Then X burrowed the handbook from Zero, went through a couple of spells and then after having found one, he too went a small distance away from everyone, and then pointing his hands towards a clearing, he said " _Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky."_ More shocked faces could be seen. They were all more shocked than when Zero cast Kurohitsugi. As X made the chant, many bullets of light began to gather behind him, as the aura around him grew stronger.

"Whoa, these two are on a completely different league!" exclaimed Rukia.

"These people just woke up in this world right? Their affinity for battle is something else" remarked Yumicika

X then continued " _The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired._ _ **Hado 91, Senju Koten Taiho!**_ " Multiple, manjenta colored light arrows converged on their target and a titanic explosion occurred, sending rock and debris everywhere. When the dust cleared, all that could be seen was a large crater, and part of the ceiling was also destroyed.

"My, my, this is quite something. I guess this makes sense, when you mentioned earlier about how you had no experience with a sword. You made it up with your skill with using energy based attacks" said Urahara, opening a fan at his face.

"What's wrong Ciel? You don't look so happy…" asked Ichigo, which turned everyone's attention towards the said Blonde, who had a grim expression on her face. "Nothing…It's just that, I never thought we'll have to fight another war again. I always wonder why we must keep fighting, and X and Zero have had their fair share of battles back at our world, so I never wanted them to fight another battle again…."she said in small voice. Everyone stayed silent, including X and Zero. It was true that they always been fighting, in hopes of attaining 'peace' but it was a never ending process. After one nemesis would come along another, and then another and it went on and on. It was then Zero who spoke up. "Ciel, I understand how you feel, but remember, you aren't alone in this. Each and every one of us feels the same way, and we simply fight to protect what we believe in. We pride ourselves in the fact that we have been given a chance to protect humanity, and it only makes us worse when we don't have the power to do so. It's worse than not attaining the peace we fight for, so don't trouble yourself". He then went over and then placed a hand on her head, she then looked up at his face, gave an understanding nod and then smiled. Ichigo smiled too, with a new found respect for X and Zero and the 4 Guardians, for their ideals that were so similar to his, and for the fact that they had continued to protect humanity for many centuries.

" _Aw why can't he pat me like that too!"_ thought Leviathan with a small dissatisfied look on her face, which did not go unnoticed by Rangiku. She closed in on her and whispered "What's this, disappointed that little Zero didn't give you a hug?" she asked causing the blue haired fairy to blush. "It's not like that" she replied, looking away, still blushing. "Ooh no need to lie, Onee-san knows everything!" grinned Rangiku. She said nothing, just continued to look away and blush.

 **-Los Noches Palace Room, Huece Mundo-**

Once the dust cleared, everyone had a clear look at the group of people standing before them. One of them appeared to be an old man with rough skin, a pointed nose, long gray hair and beard and red eyes. On his chest plate was a symbol that vaguely resembled a W. He also seemed to be floating, with seemingly no legs; his lower body replaced by an array of black and red arrow-like bands to form a coat of sorts. His hair fell down freely around his face. The two next to him though, were nothing like they had ever seen. The one to his left was a tall looking man with a bald head and a cleft chin. Almost his entire body was covered with a tattered cloak, and half his face sported a white mask, like that of a human skull, with a flame like pattern running down above and below the eye socket. He also had a sheathed katana at his belt, its sheath dark green in color, a cross shaped guard and a teal colored hilt.

The one on his right was a lean, fit young man, with long, silvery blonde hair, fringes covering his forehead, dark skinned and red eyed face, a purple, arrow shaped transparent sword at his right hand, blood dripping off it. He wore a maroon colored chest armor, with two dark yellow bands running diagonally down, high armored boots, and gauntlets with the same color patterns. He gave off a smirk as he twirled he sword around. He also had a mask, one that looked like a helmet, with two horns near his ears pointing directly behind, a white jewel, and a visor covering his red eyes. At least that's what it would have originally looked like, if the complete mask instead of just one half being there.

"To have taken down the guards I posted personally so easily…..you must possess some skill" commented Aizen, with an amused expression on his face.

"Pathetic riff-raff like them are your personal guards? Don't make me laugh! They were hardly worth my time" spat Omega.

"Enough! What's your business with us?" asked ulquiora, with no emotion whatsoever in his voice.

"If these are the kind of weaklings we've go to work with, I'd rather drown myself, Doc" said Sigma.

"Now that's interesting…it seems you clearly don't know whom you're talking to big guy…" said Aizen, after which he raised his spiritual pressure so much, that even the esparda in the room dropped to their knees. Omega and Sigma also did the same, shocked expressions on their strained faces, as they struggled to maintain their footing. " _Damn! What's with this power?!"_ thought Omega, clearly unable to fathom the current situation. "You seem to be mistaken about two things, so let me clear it up for you" explained Aizen " First off, I hope you didn't mean yourselves when you said 'weaklings' earlier, because then, I'd rather drown _myself_ then. And secondly…."

Before he could finish, another pressure swept over them like another wave colliding with another, the source of which was none other than the guy named Weil, with a smirk on his face. "Right back at you, _you're_ the one who has no idea whom you're talking to, so I suggest you not take us lightly" commented Weil dryly. Aizen looked surprised for a moment, not expecting someone to match his own spiritual pressure. Regaining composure, he said "Very interesting. Why don't you fill me in then old man?"

Sometime later, when Weil finished, there was a small silence in the room, broken by Aizen. "So then to review, after the events in your world, you somehow managed to find your way into _this_ one, and dragged along two of the most powerful _beings_ into this plane, and not to mention as arrancars. But pray tell me, how you managed to accomplish that."

"It's simple really. The dark elf was the one that transported Zero and the others here, and let's just say I know her energy signature very well. Before I died, I used the last of my powers to transform my core being into a cyber elf form, after which I followed the energy signature of the dark elf, and it seems in exchange for converting all of my powers into a condensed form, I gained the abilities similar to the dark elf, so all I did was follow her signature to this world, except I also brought along these two, Omega and Sigma" he said, pointing to the respective ex-reploids " from cyber space, an afterlife for reploids of sorts you could say and merged their cyber elf forms with hollows here, mine included. Since they were originally humanoid, and hollows aren't, fusing them caused them to become the arrancars you see now, and they do retain their original powers, if not more." He finished.

"That explains them, but how do you explain yourself? You don't look anything like an arrancar" said Hannibel.

"That's really simple, my dear, it's because despite the fact that I look like this, I'm actually a _human"_ he explained, as he bought his left hand across his face, after which a mask began to form. It was a simple round mask, with a sword shaped marking in its center. He then bought his hands across again, causing the mask to disappear.

"I see, that's very interesting….why come here?" asked Aizen.

"I have a proposal to make, Aizen. Apart from these two, I have an army of powerful ex-reploids at my disposal, and I'm a scientist who excels at reviving dead repliods. Zero and X, along with the 4 guardians were also sent here and no doubt, they are on their way on becoming stronger as we speak. I underestimated Zero once, and I suggest you don't as well. I've discovered a weakness of sorts of Zero and X, the most powerful of the group. I also watched our little farce and I was impressed to say the least. It reminded me of myself when I was alive back in my world. Let's just say with both of our intellect combined, we could achieve anything. I'll even give you a hand in whatever you're planning now."

"I see….it seems something can be worked out after all" replied Aizen.

"But lord Aizen, how can you trust them?" asked Tosen.

"Relax Kaname, you saw for yourself didn't you? Their powers will be much useful for our cause, and I'm _very_ interested at the possibilities from another world".

"Then we have an agreement" Weil said, going forwards and shaking hands with Aizen. "Come on then, it seems we'll have a lot to talk about" an evil smile etched in his face.

 **That's it for now! Hope it was good. The future chapters will also continue to be about the same length, so updates might take a bit longer than usual. BTW, in case you didn't notice, the techniques Zero used were from the megaman X series, I made it so since he regained his memories, so it makes sense that he would be able to use them. But obviously his form is the same from Megaman Zero, and since his techniques there didn't have names, I kinda mixed the two. Below are the meanings of the techniques**

 **Ryuenjin- Flame Dragon's Blade**

 **Raijingeki- Thunder God's Attack**


	5. Chapter 5: Trial of the Guardians

**I felt the chapters so far have been lacking in action, so this chapter and the next will be more active than the previous ones. Regarding Axl's presence, that some have been asking me, he WILL appear, although it won't be like how Zero and X appeared, there will be a little more to his debut. This is because I didn't initially consider X7 and X8 'canon', but I decided to include him now. Anyways, thanks for your support and reviews, it means a lot and keeps me motivated to continue writing the story. Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Chapter 5: Trial of the Guardians**

After Zero and X, all that was left was testing the 4 guardians. Harpuia went in first, but not before requesting Urahara another Zanpakuto. "I was originally dual wielding" he said simply. "I think its best if fought with a style I'm used to, I can show you my abilities better". "Fine by me" replied Urahara, giving him another Zanpakuto. "If no one minds, I wanna give this guy a shot" smirked Ikakku. "Gimme your best shot!" taunted Harpuia.

Both fighters took stance. Everyone else watched the contest carefully. Suddenly, harpuia rushed forward, bringing his swords down in a downward cross-slash. Ikakku drew his sword and blocked them with his sword and scabbard. "You're fast!" said Ikakku, sending a kick at Harpuia's gut. Harpuia stepped back with swift reflexes and send a horizontal slash back, which was easily repelled by Ikakku. Ikakku then delivered a series of slashes from his sword and scabbard alternatively, but it gave Harpuia no trouble at all, as he effortlessly parried and dodged each of them. A series of clangs as swords hit each other could be heard in the training hall. "You're good! It's not every day I get to have so much fun!" remaked Ikakku.

Harpuia then did something that left everyone with their jaw opened. He bought his swords upwards consecutively, and then in a split moment, crossed them downwards, which created a purple crescent shaped wave, which grazed Ikakku in his shoulder, making a small bleeding cut. Not stopping there, he disappeared, leaving everyone confused, but then appeared behind Ikakku, with his swords raised upwards. If that wasn't enough, Ikakku's shoulders were now deeply cut, spraying blood. Ikakku stood there, wide eyed, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Woah, what was that? Flash Step?" asked Ichigo.

"No way, it was so fast, I couldn't see him at all!" exclaimed Uryu.

"It was flash step alright, and good enough to rival my own, or maybe even exceed mine, as even I could only barely follow his movements" said Yorouchi.

"Unbelievable! Yorouchi is the fastest soul reaper that I know of, for him to be on par with the Flash Goddess and one who hasn't even awakened his powers yet….." trailed off Toshiro.

"But what was that attack that he hit Ikakku with before that? The purple crescent wave shaped attack? It seemed like a getsuga tenshou to me. And how did he use Flash Step? He shouldn't be able to use it as he is **now** right?" asked Renji.

"Hmm…I don't know how to explain it myself, but all I did was remember my abilities from my time, and it just seemed to naturally come to me. Even during our time, I was known for my speed. I guess I remembered my previous fighting style and I guess that's it" answered Harpuia.

"So it would seem that Harpuia-san has a better resonance with his Zanpakuto as of now compared with X-san and Zero-san" remarked Urahara. "A Zanpakuto is a portion of the owner's soul, and as such it makes sense that your soul reaper powers are molded according to your previous powers. But it might not be an identical copy, since you guys are no longer 'reploids' but more like 'humans'". "In any case, let's see how you do with kido". Orihime then proceeded to heal Ikakku.

"He he, I hope you fight me again, Harpuia!"

Harpuia just smirked at his direction.

Again, he was given the kido handbook and Harpuia took a lot of time to decide on a spell he wanted to try. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he stepped forwards and then extending his palm forwards, he cried " **Hado 58, Tenran!"** following which a huge tornado spiraled away from his palm, generating winds whose power was insane. Almost many were blinded, and all of them struggled to keep their footing steady. But he wasn't finished, which was evident by his palm still in the same position. He then cried again, " **Hado 88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"** A huge electrical beam blasted from his palm, which then spiraled along the tornado created earlier, making it electrified with dazzling purple electrical sparks flying everywhere. The tornado then hit the far end of the wall, creating an enormous explosion. After the dust settled, they were shocked to see a huge hole in a place where a wall once stood.

"This is insane! How are these guys so powerful?! They haven't even awakened their Zanpakuto yet! It's impossible!" exclaimed Yumichika, wide eyed.

"I agree, their powers are too great for someone who just became soul reapers, this power was almost captain class" followed Toshiro.

"I don't think it's all that unbelievable" said Ciel, catching everyone's attention. "If you remember what we said about their background earlier, Zero, X, and the four guardians used to be the most powerful warriors in our world. Plus, they all have centuries of fighting experience. And the four guardians are all clones of X" she completed.

"The reason why his kido was so powerful, was probably because Harpuia was nicknamed the 'God of wind and thunder', one who excelled in attacks of said elements. Tenran and Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō are wind and lightning type attacks, and no wonder they combined so well too" explained Dr. Light. "Also, Harpuia, and the other guardians used to be the captains of their respective squads of the military forces of Neo Arcadia. X used to be the ruler of Neo Arcadia, and Zero is someone who could stand toe-to-toe with X. This should explain why their powers feel like they are captain class." he continued.

"But we mustn't let our guard down. There were many reploids from our world who could go head to head with us, and I don't think we should rule out the fact that if we could make it to this world, they can as well. If someone like Weil or Omega made it here, it would be a disaster. Zero barely defeated Weil, and even lost his life in the process too. If he happens to gain powers apart from what he originally had, I'm afraid it might get really bad" said X.

"I don't see what you're so worried about X. As you said, the only reason you guys were able to travel to this world was because that elf thing sent you here with her powers right? If she's not evil, why will she send some evil jerk like Weil to this dimension?" asked Renji.

"Still, I like being prepared, and we don't know what Aizen has up his sleeve. He WAS able to deceive all the captains after all. I wouldn't rule out that possibility too" said the silver haired captain.

"I don't care how powerful this 'Weil' guy is. If he threatens the existence of innocent people, I'm gonna whoop his ass" retorted Ichigo with a scowl. "I will protect everyone, be it from Aizen or Weil" he finished.

"My, how noble of you….I hope you will protect me as well" said leviathan, with a playful, flirty tone while edging towards him, a naughty smile on her face. Ichigo blushed fiercely, while Orihime looked on with an astonished look on her face, not being able to accept it had happened, a small blush on her face as well. "Leviathan, would you please stop playing around!" shouted Harpuia, clearly irritated, hand on his face. Everyone sweatdropped, but Toshiro had a scowl on his face, " _So annoying, it's like having to deal with two Rangikus"_. He shuddered, the thought of there being two Rangikus was clearly a nightmare. "Orihime, it's ok, she's only playing with him, you don't have to give her that look" said Chad solemnly. "I-It's not like that Sado-kun, I'm not looking at anyone" she looked away, flustered. "While this has been entertaining….." said Fefnir. "I'm really itching for a fight, so if Harpy is done showing off, I wanna pound someone already!"

"Ho, you show guts, boy. I like it!" smirked Ikakku. "Personally, I would love to fight you myself, but I'll pass this once."

"If it's ok, I'll fight him" said Chad. "Sure, go ahead" came the affirmative from Urahara. Again, both got into their respective positions, but while Chad summoned his arm, Fenfir didn't even draw his sword. Instead, he simply pounded his fists together. It became apparent that he had no experience with a sword either, like X, but while X didn't mind using his sword, Fefnir had no intention of using it. Upon the signal, Chad gained the first hit, by sending a huge El-Directo in his direction. Fefnir barely was able to dodge it, but not before it grazed his legs. Fefnir then rushed forward, and then jumped, with his fist drawn backwards. As he approached Chad, he aimed at his torso, but not before it was blocked by Chad's arm. Although he avoided a direct hit, it didn't stop him from reeling back a few feet. "Urgh!"

Not stopping, he unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, while Chad crossed his arm to block them. At the end of it, his arms felt a little numb. Not giving him another chance to retaliate, he sent another El-Directo point blank, the light engulfing his body for a brief moment. Everyone thought Fefnir would be down, but a second later, they watched as Fefnir's figure became visible. He wasn't hurt badly, save for minor burns here and there.

"Well, at this point, it's not a surprise at all" remarked Yumichika.

"Yeah, although, I must say, his resilience is something else" added Rukia.

When it came to kido, Fefnir immediately pointed his fingers after glancing once at the handbook, and then uttered " _Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of_ _red_ _flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens,_ **Hado 73, Sōren Sōkatsui!** " Instead of using his palms forward, he closed his fists and then punched the ground. Nothing seemed to happen for an instant, but a second later, the ground shook violently, as is an earthquake came and then at a distance, the ground seemed to erupt and then two huge pillars of red flames arose, its heat so intense it melted the rocks engulfed in the blast. Everyone watched with awe, obviously Fefnir was a power type fighter. But what surprised everyone was the fact that he changed the kido incantation to suit his own nature, something that was considered impossible. " _It appears that since they are not from our world originally, they are able to bend the laws of this world, even if just a little"_ thought Urahara. Orihime then proceed to heal Fefnir, but he declined saying, "Tch, I can handle this much of damage by myself" making Orihime back away, confused.

"I guess I'm next~~" said Leviathan playfully. This time, Rukia faced her and she handled herself fairly well, parrying all of her attacks and even managed to scratch her elbow slightly. "Tee hee, I had fun! Let's fight again sometime!" she smiled. Rukia returned a small one of her own. Sheathing her sword, she looked over the hand book, but after searching for about a minute, she finally looked carefully at a corner of the book and then readied herself. Pointing two fingers, she shouted " **Hado 70, Tsurara Shōgeki!** " causing a barrage of icicles to hurl forwards in incredible speeds. Although not very powerful, it could tear someone to shreds in an instant. It also covered a huge area in front of the caster, so it was a good offence and defense.

"Now all that's left is Phantom" she finished. "I gotta warn you though, he doesn't look like it but his skill is top notch!"

This time, Yoruichi stepped forwards to face him. "Don't you need a sword? How do you expect to block my blade?" he asked. "No worries, I'm pretty fast, so give me your best shot, I'll avoid it" she replied. "If you say so, but I'll warn you, I'm pretty fast myself, so I wouldn't underestimate me if I were you". Without warning, Phantom disappeared and appeared directly in front of her, slicing downwards. Yoruichi barely reacted, put off by his speed. She quickly flash stepped backwards, and regained her composure. " _Looks like he can use flash step right from the get go as well…."_ she thought. Immediately, she flash stepped behind him preparing to deliver a hand chop, but only for her hand to go right through his body before it faded away. "An afterimage!" she exclaimed. Phantom then appeared behind her and then struck her with the back of his sword. She reeled, quickly turning to face him, but only to catch a glimpse of nothing. Phantom then appeared a distance away, sheathing his sword.

"Woah, he's fast! Much faster than even Yoruichi!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"He didn't give off any spiritual pressure as well" added Uryu.

"I'm sure captain Soi fon would love to have him in her squad" said Renji.

"You're right. He hides his presence so well, even his reiatsu disappears, so it's impossible to trace him. A great asset for someone in the stealth force" said the silver-haired captain.

He then went to a nearby rock, and then kicked it upwards, then uttered, " **Bakudo 79, Kuyō Shibari!"** causing 9 black orbs to appear and suspend it in mid-air.

" **Hado 65, Kage Seiryoku!** " A dark pillar of black light erupted from the shadow of the rock on the ground and caused it to vanish, leaving no trace of its existence.

"Woah, I didn't sense any spiritual pressure! No way!" said Rukia astonished.

"How can one cast kido without spirit energy?!"

Even Urahara was visibly surprised. "It seems I was right after all" he said aloud. Everyone turned to him. "It looks like these guys are able to bend the laws of _our_ world, even if only a little, thanks to their not being from this world originally. Like how Phantom-san's kido had no reiatsu and how Fefnir-san altered the original kido incantation to suit his 'nature' of power. It would seem that their powers in this world are getting molded by their memories of the powers they possessed when they were alive. That would explain how they are catching up so quickly despite having only awakened their powers" explained the blonde ex captain.

"All right~~now that everyone is done, let's take a break!" cooed Urahara, instantly switching from his serious face to a playful one.

"I'll get snacks" said Tessai, rising and leaving towards the exit.

Everyone then anonymously dispersed into three groups; the soul reapers from the soul society in one, Ichigo and his gang including Urahara and Yoruichi in another and lastly the inhabitants of the other world in the last. They began discussing about the events of the day as they settled down.

 _ **With Ichigo and gang**_

There was silence for quite a while. No one seemed to have anything to say, all of them silently thinking about everything that had just happened. It was a lot to take in, and they were still digesting the events that had transpired. Uryu then broke the silence.

"So, what do you think of them?" he asked Urahara. "What do you mean?" asked Ichigo. "Well…..obviously, they are well versed with combat. According to the story we heard, they are many centuries old, and hence their fighting experience is beyond our levels and even of Shinigami like Rukia and Renji, who are quite strong themselves. If they trained enough and awakened their powers, I'm sure they would become one of the most powerful people in this world, maybe even greater than average captains. They could have been sent anywhere, since the being that sent them couldn't have known any better. Not just that, even the scientists with the knowledge of creating them had been sent right into our place, as if they were meant to be here. It's all too enigmatic" he finished.

"Hmm…you may be right. But didn't they say that this being, 'mother elf' was a sentinent being, one so powerful that she was the cause of a century long war? It isn't farfetched if she DID know about the circumstances of this world and sent them to a dimension where they could be revived and protect the people here from a threat that might be too much for people of this dimension"

"Another possibility might be just like how X said; if evil beings from their dimensions found their way here, 'heroes' who defeated them there might have a better chance of defeating them here than us, so this sentinent being might have sent them to this dimension specifically for that purpose"

"I don't care how and why they are here, they don't look evil to me. They seem kinda nice" said Orihime cheerfully.

"Yeah….while fighting that Zero guy, I could tell when I crossed swords with him. He gave out strong feelings of wanting to protect someone or something" said Ichigo.

 _ **With the Soul Society's Shinigami**_

"Hey, so what's the next step? What's going to happen to those guys?" asked Rangiku.

"Hmm…..a good question. We know they are incredibly strong fighters. If they chose to join the soul society, I'm sure they would become powerful soul reapers" said Toshiro.

"Do you think they'll join us captain?" asked Rukia.

"That depends on them. They did mention about how protecting humans was their purpose for fighting. Very similar to us soul reapers don't you think so?" said Renji.

"In any case, doesn't look like they'll be our enemies then, which is a good thing. I wouldn't want more enemies than we already have to face" said Yumichika.

"Heh, I couldn't care less if they joined the soul society or not, as long as I can fight them. It's not every day I fight someone so strong" smirked Ikakku. "But then again, if they did join us, I'll get to see them more often too".

"I hope Zero joins our squad. It's not often you get to see someone so _handsome_ and _strong_ " said Rangiku in a seductive voice.

"Matsumoto! Behave yourself!" said Toshiro with an irritated look.

"Aww, you're such a killjoy, captain" she replied, which only further earned a glare from the silver haired captain. The others only looked on deadpanned.

 _ **With Zero and the Others**_

All of the ex-reploids got around, along with the scientists. Everyone had something to say, but it was Harpuia who broke the silence.

"Zero….I have something to ask you" he said.

"What is it?"

"Dr Light said that you and master…sorry….X have always been together and protected the humans from Maverics for centuries, and even defeated Omega together with the power of Mother elf right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" said the blonde ex-maverick hunter.

"So, if you and X are partners, why is it that after Dr Ciel awoke you from your slumber, that you continued to go after him? Why didn't you join forces?" he asked.

"It's not like that. When I awoke, my memories were still hazy. I barely remembered X at all. It was only later I remembered who he was and what he was to me. But the X that I fought were only copies of him, without his heart, his desire for peace between reploids and humans. They were all just that; copies who couldn't compare to the real X. X appeared to me in cyber-elf form and supported the resistance as much as he could" he answered.

The four guardians were completely shocked by this. They hadn't expected that their ex-master was supporting the resistance through all their battles.

"Wa-wait, so X was helping the guardians?" asked Leviathan

"Does that mean we were opposing our master's wishes in the end? Were our struggles pointless after all?" joined Phantom

Ciel, Light and X looked on sadly. It was Ciel who then spoke up. "I know it was I who resurrected X, I had hoped he would be the same X who fought with Zero to maintain peace. But that was not to be. I had at least hoped that the 4 guardians that I had created would help Zero. Again, even though you guys initially fought with each other, you managed to pull through in the end"

"Dr Ciel…..you created us…..and we still fought against you, never thinking about what our actions meant and what you were trying to achieve….we rebelled against our creator….we are no better than mavericks…." said Harpuia, his head facing down. For someone with his pride to bow his head, it truly showed how he really felt. The other guardians also mirrored his expression.

"Harpuia, it wasn't your fault….please don't blame yourself…..all that is behind us now….you even sacrificed yourselves defeating Omega, and if that doesn't make up for what you did, I don't know what will…..at least now, why don't you join me and Zero in protecting _this world_? There are no mavericks here and we are humans ourselves now, so we can now fight with a clear conscious, without having to be branded a maverick for believing in justice. So, what will it be?" asked X.

Harpuia looked up, a shocked expression in his face. The thought of fighting together with X was an honor he couldn't accept, but after X had said what he did, he thought for a minute and said "Yes…I will fight to protect my beliefs and this time, I will make amends"

"You're right!" said Leviathan. "Of course" grinned Fefnir. "I will fight alongside X and Zero!" repeated Phantom.

"Thanks guys" said X, a contended smile on his face. "Let's get along well!" said Zero, grinning.

Ciel, almost burst to tears, went and hugged all of them tightly. "Thank you….thank you…." She said, in a stifled voice. All of them smiled with warm looks on their faces.

" _It couldn't get any better than this…"_ thought Dr Light, with a contended smile.

 **That's it! With this, I've hit 10K words! Yay! Again, thanks for your reviews and for reading, do continue to enjoy the story! The next chapter will be the debut of antagonist forces, so it'll get even more interesting. The next chapter might take another week or two, since I have my semester end exams coming up. Please do drop on a review, be it regarding the writing style or discrepancies in the story. Your support is what keeps me motivated to continue writing. I also made up a few hado spells, and I personally don't know Japanese, so google translate is my only option. I'll post the meanings of their names below. Again, thanks for reading!**

 **Tsurara Shōgeki - Icicle Crash**

 **Kage** **Seiryoku – Shadow Force/Vigor**


	6. Chapter 6: Arrival

**Hey guys, I'm back! My exams are over, which means more frequent updates! I've also noticed that the story is getting more popular! Aiming to get double digit followers. I do realize that Megaman Zero isn't all that popular, still, I'm having my hopes up high. Again, thanks for the reviews and for reading my story, do leave in more reviews and help me publish better chapters in the future. Without further ado, enjoy!**

 **Chapter 6: Arrival**

"I've got some snacks everyone" said Ururu in her meek voice as usual. Jinta helped her bring the snacks, followed closely by Tessai. Everyone who had split off gathered around.

"Whoa, what're those?" asked Leviathan. She was looking in the direction of the snacks that Ururu brought. "These? They're called Manju" replied Orihime, taking a piece. In the tray were many round, yellow-brown soft looking things the new guys hadn't seen before.

"Manju?" repeated X. "What's that?"

"Wait, you seriously don't know?" asked Ichigo, with a confused look on his face.

"Before that, why did she pop a rock into her mouth?" asked Fefnir. The rest of the group looked on deadpanned, as if not believing someone asked such a thing. Calling sweet buns as rocks was new, even to them. The only ones who didn't share the same opinion were the reploid turned human group.

"Wait, wait….hold on….don't tell me you've never seen this in your whole life…and you guys are supposed to be centuries old…" struttered Uryu with a comical shocked expression on his face.

"These are some tasty sweet buns! If only I there were some good ol' sake to match up with it!" exclaimed Dr Light, surprising everyone present.

"Dr, you know what these are?" asked X.

"Well of course! These were pretty popular and common too during my time!" he remarked, biting into a Manju piece he had.

"Wait so if you know, then how come they don't?" asked Rukia, pointing towards the ex reploids.

"Well, the most likely explanation is that 'food' wasn't the same as it is for us during their time" explained Light

"Hmm…now that you mention it, even during my prime, nature was really rare, less than 1% of the Earth's surface had nature still flourishing. Having normal food like fruits and vegetables were a luxury. Almost all humans used what we call E-Crystals. They are basically crystals which have pure energy imbued into them. By consuming one, it provides energy directly to the body, thus satisfying the daily energy needs." said X.

"Fruits and vegetables were a _luxury_? Are you kidding me?!" asked Ichigo, with a shocked expression.

"No he's not….its true, and during my time, nature did not exist at all….we were lucky to have found Area Zero which had _some_ amount of nature. Dr Weil tried to destroy that last piece of our treasure. That's why, even if we had to put our lives on the line, we had to stop it, no matter what. It was the last piece of humanity's hope." Said Ciel.

"Good thing he's gone now…..I can't imagine him being here again" she continued, shivering a bit. The thought of Weil being here, alive, here in this world was something she never wanted to happen again. Not just for the threat he represented, but so that X and Zero may never go through something like this again.

"Yeah…..but I'm really surprised…this means none of you ever had 'food' like the rest of us….that's….really sad" remarked Ikakku.

"Then, lets throw a big feast! Your very first steps as humans!" exclaimed Renji.

All of a sudden, a titanic pressure hit them, like an ocean wave had just come crashing upon them.

"What the f-"

"What is this spiritual pressure! Its insane! How can anything have spirit energy this huge?!" exclaimed Rukia. Most of the people present got down on one knee, unable to stand the pressure.

Even Urahara and Yoruichi were shocked beyond their beliefs. During their entire lives as captains, not even the Head Captain's presence came close to what they felt now.

"Its coming in that direction!" shouted Ichigo, pulling out his soul badge and ejecting his reaper body from his real one. The soul reapers swallowed their respective soul candies and changed into reaper forms.

"Damn, we'll have to use our shikhai to even be able to _move_ without feeling strains on our bodies! Who or what is having _this_ much power?!" shouted Toshiro.

"Alright then here goes… **Roar, Zabimaru!** "

" **Extend, Hozukimaru!** "

" **Bloom, Fujikujaku!** "

" **Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyourinmaru!** "

" **Growl, Haineko!** "

" **Scream, Benihime** "

" **Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!** "

"Wha- Rukia?! You got your powers back? And what is that zanpakuto?!" asked Ichigo.

"I'll explain later, but first, we gotta find out what's happening! Come on, lets not waste time!" replied Rukia hurriedly.

"Let us come too! We can help!" remarked X.

"Look, not gonna happen, you guys have just awoken here, I'm not even sure if we can take whatever is causing this head on" replied Ikakku with a serious expression.

"I already had a bad feeling before this! Please, just let us come! I believe my help….our help will be required!" pleaded X.

"Tch….fine we don't have time to debate this. Lets go!" said Ikkaku, running ahead. One by one all of them started heading towards the reiatsu, while Tessai, Ururu, Jinta and Dr Light stayed back to look after the base.

"Be careful everyone!" shouted Dr Light from behind. What no one realized was that Ciel also tagged along.

"Damn, what power! The air seems to be getting thicker and thicker!" said Uryu, as they made their way to the source.

"I have a really bad feeling about this….." remarked Urahara, with a slightly dark expression on his face. It bothered them a bit, for it was really rare to see Urahara leave his calm and collected demeanor.

" I sense 4..no..5 presences…one of them seems to completely dwarf the other 4" remarked Yoruichi, sweating a bit after sensing that huge spiritual pressure.

When they got close to the source, they found a huge crater in the middle of it, countless motionless bodies strewn about, as if their very life was sucked out of them, and in the midst of these bodies were 5 people. Two of them were dressed completely in white robes, both having cracked hollow masks on their faces and a katana sheathed in their belts. One of them was tall and very muscular, balding head with a long ponytail tied at the back of his head, orange markings under his eyes and a cracked hollow mask-like jaw below his mouth. The other was slimmer and well built, with a hollow hole in his neck and short black hair and two green tear line like markings in his face and deep green eyes. The ones standing next to them was….

"NO WAY…ITS YOU! WEIL!" screamed Zero.

"But how?! You're supposed to be dead!" shouted X.

"Hehehehe…..I hope you remember me too, X!" rasped the voice of a hooded figure at the back, removing his hood.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed X. "SIGMA!"

"Sigma?! That's the guy you mentioned? And he's Dr Weil?!" asked Ichigo, glaring at them.

"Don't be too surprised now!" said the other hooded figure, with an evil grin, he too removing his hood to revealing….

"OMEGA!" barked Harpuia, clenching his fists.

"That's the guy? The one who took over your body?" asked Rukia.

"Yeah….I can't believe they're here…why aren't they dead!?" asked a confused Zero.

One thing they did notice that the three latter enemies looked slightly different than what they remembered them to be. Sigma and Omega had hollow masks, albeit cracked ones and Weil missed his glass container on his head and he too had a sword, apart from Omega and Sigma.

"Weil! Answer me! How?! I sent you to your maker personally!" asked Zero.

"Shush now…..you always were the impatient one Zero….is it really unbelievable that I found my way here if _you_ could?" asked Weil.

"Bastard! Don't tell me….." cursed Fefnir, before being interrupted by Weil.

"No don't get me wrong. The dark elf didn't send me here nor I need her help. I was the one who made her after all. I know her energy signature well. Before Zero destroyed me, I converted all of my remaining strength into a condensed form, turning me into something similar to the dark elf. After that, all I needed to do was follow her and find myself a body. I must say though, the power of a vasto lorde combined with my previous powers feels quite amazing!" he remarked, smirking.

"He did what?!" exclaimed Ichigo. He was briefed by Toshiro and group about the different classes of menos before he visited Urahara's and after having heard Zero's story, he had a hunch as to the power of Dr Weil. So when Dr Weil told him that, he very well could tell his current prowess.

"You….you must be that Ichigo kid Aizen mentioned….I see…you really do have some potential….but the way you are now, its no where good enough to be a threat…." Remarked Weil dryly. At the mention of Aizen's name, everyone became alert.

"You know Aizen?!" asked Toshiro.

"Why, of course! I did meet him in Heuco Mundo. He seems to posses some decent spirit energy himself… **almost** comparable to mine. Lets just say we've reached an agreement, hehehe " he smirked.

" _So this guy's teamed up with him….this could be bad, Aizen was plenty strong and he stole the hogyoku too….and now another guy shows up with the potential to surpass even Aizen's powers_ " thought Urahara to himself.

"That's enough nonsense, why are you here Weil? The world we knew is long gone! What more do you want? Do you meant to terrorize the people of **this** world too!?" asked Harpuia, shaking a fist at Weil.

"I thought I told you, Harpuia, that only a human could understand what it means to rule! Reploid scum couldn't begin to comprehend how I could feel! And after joining my spirit with a hollow, its as if I felt whole again! The feeling of power coursing through my body…of crushing those who stand in my way…the ecstasy….there's no way you could begin to understand…."

"That's enough! Come on, with all of us here, we have nothing to worry, lets get 'em" shouted Fefnir, rushing forward.

"Hey hold on, don't rush forwards blindly!" said Renji, charging towards them.

"Hehehe, Omega! Sigma! Teach these fools what happens to people who defy Lord Weil!" he barked.

"Hah, its about time doc, I was getting sick of all that bullshit!" remarked Sigma, drawing his sword. It was a plain sword with a circular hilt with a green transparent blade. It made whirring, crackling noises as he swung it.

"Zero, you may have destroyed me before, but things are different now….you no longer possess the power you had before, whereas I'm better than ever! Prepare to die!" said Omega, drawing his transparent magenta blade.

"Hah, treating us like some third wheel, Lord Aizen might have asked us to co-operate , but I wont stand such insults!" shouted Yami, preparing to attack. Ullquiora simply stood, doing nothing.

"Alright guys, this is it! These guys are monsters, so don't go easy on them" said Renji.

Sigma rushed at fefnir and slashed at him horizontally, which fefnir avoided by back stepping and then countered with a diagonal slash aimed at his Torso. Sigma caught the blade and threw the blade and fefnir aside. He flew a short distance and crashed into a nearby boulder. Renji then swung his zanpakuto, causing it to extend and fly towards his neck. Sigma slashed with his sword and the sword cut Zabimaru's sections in two, leaving slightly molten metal at the cut section. Renji watched, astonished as his blade was so easily destroyed. Nearby, Omega rushed towards Zero, and Zero dashed towards him first and thrust his sword forward, which Omega simply stepped aside and swung his blade in an arc, aiming at Zero's neck. Suddenly, a golden triangular shield stopped his magenta blade. Zero blinked, expecting the blade to make contact but opened his eyes to see the sword stopped by the shield. Looking back, he saw Orihime with her hands stretched forwards, implying that she had saved his neck, literally.

"Tch, another pest…" spat Omega, rushing after Orihime instead.

"Not so fast! **Getsuga Tenshou!** " cried Ichigo, firing off a huge light blue crescent wave at Omega. He simply swung his sword and split the Getsuga in two, sending it in two different directions.

"Damn! Guess shikai isn't enough…" said Ichigo, extending his blade arm forwards, the cloth wrap wrapping his hand. **"Bankai!"**

A pillar of vertical black-maroon reiatsu erupted, causing everyone's attention to waver a little. After the dust cleared, Ichigo was revealed to be wearing a slightly longer cloak, and a thin, pitch black katana with chains at its end.

" **Tensa Zangetsu** "

Quickly flash stepping towards Omega, he appeared in front of him. "Wha-" Ichigo quickly raised his sword and slashed diagonally, but the sword went through him with almost no resistance, and his form simply faded away.

"An afterimage…" Ichigo's eyes scanned for Omega.

"Kurosaki-kun, behind you!" shouted Orihime, but it was too late. A large slash appeared behind Ichigo's back, spraying blood. The wound was also burnt, giving off a burnt skin smell. Ichigo seethed with pain, dropping on his knees.

"Dam you, you'll pay for this! **Some no mai, Tsukishiro!** " shouted Rukia, causing an ice pillar to form below Omega's feet. He seemed to be frozen inside the pillar, but the pillar shattered after multiple slashes appeared in it, melting the Ice around the cuts. Omega jumped out and forming a red aura around his clenched fist, he punched towards Rukia, causing a Purple projectile to fly off towards her. " **Bala** " It came in so fast, she could barely see it before it hit and caused a small explosion, with Rukia flying backwards through the dust cloud covered in bruises and burns and landing face down.

"Heh is that all you have? This is hardly worth my time" smirked Omega

Yami faced off against Chad, delivering a punch at his torso. Chad quickly changed his right arm and blocked the blow. The blow was much stronger than he expected, and he was sent flying backwards, but he managed to gain footing. He could feel his whole body vibrating from the impact. Uryu then fired off a volley of arrows, which surprised Chad.

"Didn't you lose your powers, Uryu?" he asked.

"It's a long story, save it for later! Lets focus on the fight for now" he replied.

Yami simply stood, as the arrows did absolutely nothing when they hit him. Phantom then flash stepped forwards, thrusting his sword forwards, which Yami simply caught with his bare hands. Pulling the sword forwards, he swatted away phantom like a fly, sending him crashing. Leviathan then charged forwards and jumped, stepped off on Yami's incoming hand and thrust her sword towards his head. The sword too was stopped, not penetrating his skin.

"Oww…that hurt, you little swine!" he cried, punching Leviathan. Yami then grabbed Uryu and with his other hand, flicked Uryu in the head, causing an unpleasant sound as he lost consciousness, his forehead bleeding profusely. Toshiro then swung his Zanpakuto, creating ice as the sword swung forwards. Yami simply swung his arm to the side, causing the ice to shatter. "You think you can hold me down with a _little_ ice? Pathetic!" shouted Yami. He then draws his arm back, clenched, red circular energy gathering around it. He then punched the air towards toshiro, causing a fast red projectile to hurl towards him. When the dust cleared, all the 4 warriors were lying face down, burnt and bruised.

"How do you like that hah?! That wasn't a cero, its called a Bala! It is a projectile of spirit energy. Its not as powerful as a cero, doesn't need to be. Its 20 times faster!" explained Yami, all the while laughing maniacally

After Renji had his blade cut down, he felt a breeze move past him, and a green blur, after which he could feel himself falling down, his eyes blurred as he could barely make out a red spray in front of him. Sigma was behind him, the hilt of his sword with a little blood on it.

"No, Renji!" shouted Ikkaku, rushing towards Sigma. He engaged in an exchange with Sigma, making sure to avoid the blade. The blade seemed to be made of reishi, so if he had to parry it, his reishi would have to be higher than Sigma's. He could barely keep up with Sigma's fast blows and even got cut here and there. Finally, when he managed to connect with Sigma's torso, he watched with a shocked expression as Hozukimaru's blade cracked. Sigma then grabbed him by the neck and slashed downwards, making a huge cut across his torso. Yumichika then charged forwards, yelling.

"Haaaah!"

He swung Fujikujaku aiming at Sigma, but he disappeared leaving behind an afterimage, appearing directly in front of him. Not wasting a second, Yumichika, knowing that he can't afford to hold back at this time, chanted " **Bakudo #30, Shitotsu Sansen!** " creating an inverted triangle from his crackling arm, and three smaller triangles smashed Sigma into a nearby tree, binding him in place.

"Hehehe, so this is 'kido' eh? Too bad something at this level is barely worth my time and attention!" he smirked, as he broke free with no effort. In an instant, he disappeared and sliced him squarely in the front.

"Argh!...He got me...Damn!" cursed Yumichika, as he fell backwards, broken Zanpakuto falling alongside with him. " _This is insane…no matter how strong these guys are, we should be able to hold them at bay…..what's going on_?!"

Zero regained his composure after Ichigo got hit, this time, planning the best attack strategy. He watched as the others fell, one by one, at the hands of these three. What he couldn't understand was how no one could even put up a fight. Toshiro was a captain and he couldn't have fallen so easily. " _What the hell's happening?!"_ he cursed inwardly. X and Rangiku came along to help him out. "Zero, you ok?" asked X.

"Yeah , Orihime managed to save me, but Ichigo, Rukia and the others don't seem to be doing so well…."

"I'm ok…..this is nothing…" said Ichigo as he slowly got up.

"Kurosaki-kun please wait, I'll heal you"

" No….go get Rukia and the others…they need your help more than I do…" replied Ichigo. Hesitantly, she hurried off to heal the others. X, Zero, Ichigo and Rangiku braced themselves.

"One of us can keep him distracted and the rest attack when he shows an opening" said X. "I'll use my kido to bind him temporarily and at that instant, immobilize him somehow. We cant beat him the way we are now, so the least we can try to do is minimize the damage."

"Sounds good"

"Ok"

"Sounds good, but let me be the one to bind him. Since you're not used to using kido so well, use that time to prepare an incantation. I'll bind him. Zero and Ichigo can get him then" said Rangiku.

Agreeing, all of them prepared themselves. Rangiku cried out " **Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro!** " causing 6 rectangular light bars to bind him in place. X then prepared to cast Senjukotentaiho, while Zero and Ichigo dashed forwards.

"Good plan, but you seem to have forgotten something, soul reaper. A battle between two spiritual beings is a battle between their reishi. In other words…" he said, as he shattered the Bakudo spell. "Your flimsy reishi cant hold a candle to mine!" He then quickly slashed the approaching Ichigo and Zero, incapacitating both.

"Damn!"

"Urgh!"

A buzz sound was heard before Omega appeared before Rangiku and kicked her in her gut, sending her crashing into some trees. She barely remained conscious as her Zanpakuto returned to its sealed state. " _What power! Who ARE these guys….not only did they take us all on, but to have defeated taichou as well….its not possible…."_

Meanwhile, with Urahara and Yoruichi, both of them currently engaged Weil, delivering punches and kicks from Yoruichi and occasional attacks from Benihime, its whistling sound echoing throughout the field. Weil didn't even seem to try to avoid any of them, simply parrying whenever necessary and sometimes, he would simply take them head on simply because it made no difference to him.

"It seems impossible that someone such as captain Hitsugaya would go down so easily against such opponents, but that's not the case is it? You've been using your spiritual pressure to put pressure on all of us throughout the battle, haven't you?" asked Urahara, moving aside to let Yoruichi to attack. " Its been restricting us from using our full powers, am I wrong?"

"Hehehe….Urahara Kisuke, it seems Aizen wasn't exaggerating when he said what he did about you. You really do possess a keen intellect, but there is such a thing as a difference in power, you cant beat me as you are now, even with a spirit such as yours" he remarked, as he raised his reiatsu even higher, causing the two ex captains to waver a bit. Their bodies felt heavier and even lifting theirs swords was a chore. And he wasn't even using his full power yet.

" _This isn't good!...he's simply toying with us….if he decided to get serious, we might be in some real trouble…."_ he thought

"I think its about time I end this…..this wasn't what I had hoped for, but when Aizen told about ' _interesting'_ humans, I had hoped for better….their reishi is barely worth my attention….not like that matters now, I've seen to it that it'll be taken care off…anyways…" he said, turning towards Urahara. " Its such a pity to waste someone like you, who I believed had some potential…too bad you'll be obliterated in an instant!". Extending his arm, a purple, glowing sphere began to form in his hand, growing in size.

"Damn….this is bad! How can he have such power…if that Cero hits, not just us, but this whole place will!..." cried Yoruichi, shielding herself, bracing for impact.

" _Even my blood mist shield can't block an attack of such caliber….At least I can try to redirect the blast to protect those behind us.."_

Everyone was barely conscious enough to make out what was happening. The could see the cero becoming larger with each passing second. Suddenly, as the blast fired off from his hand, a figure sped past them and put itself before the blast and all of a sudden, it vanished, without a trace.

"WHAT?!" Weil looked with a bewildered look on his face. Ichigo looked at the figure and gasped. Rukia, Renji, Toshiro and the rest of the soul society team watched wide eyed. Urahara raised an eye, and then spoke "so, its you…." . But the most shocked one of all the others were X, Zero and the 4 guardians. They couldn't believe what they saw before them. A woman with long blonde hair let loose halfway down till her back, a blue cloak, similar to ichigo's bankai shihakushou in shape with a white bands running along its length, a blue white helmet with white, feather like projections extending backwards like a visor, in her hand a slim sword, sheathed in a black sheath, a small, red jewel encrusted at the bottom with gold linings both in the sheath and her robes. But the most distinctive features were the three angular front bangs and those clear, blue eyes bluer than an the seas.

"Ciel…..!"

 **Hope it was good compared to the chapters so far! I am really bad at explaining appearances, so just search for rockman ciel in google and you can get a visual picture. Its pretty common in google images if you search, but if I leave a reference, it would be easier. Thanks to keichan411 for the artwork! Again, thanks for reading and do leave your comments and reviews and let me know how you feel. Chapter took long to update due to my exams. Next chapter will be within 1-1.5 weeks.**


	7. Chapter 7: Absolute Power

**Hey guys! Just want to say thanks for your support, and also I do apologize for not posting a chapter sooner. I had a lot of work to do and you could say I'm kinda free now. I promise to post new chapters as soon as I'm able. You may have doubts about why I chose to have Ciel with powers, but since this is a fanfiction, something new would be more interesting, so I chose to go ahead with it. Expect a lot more such events happening in the story. I also thank you for your reviews and please continue supporting and reviewing my story. Anyways, without further delay, enjoy!**

 **Chapter 7: Absolute Power**

As the smoke cleared, everyone could get a closer look at the figure standing before them. A woman with long blonde hair let loose halfway down till her back, a blue cloak, similar to Ichigo's bankai shihakushou in shape with white bands running along its length, a blue white helmet with white, feather like projections extending backwards like a visor, in her hand a slim sword, sheathed in a black sheath, a small, red jewel encrusted at the bottom with gold linings both in the sheath and her robes. Ciel stood before the party, with a confident smirk on her face, apparently having saved them from the cero blast fired off by Weil. But the most mysterious part was that the Cero didn't explode or get redirected away somewhere else, rather, it just seemed to have vanished without leaving a trace. But the only one who noted this was Kisuke and Yoruichi, while the others just continued to watch with their mouths gaping wide open.

It was Zero, the one who was shocked the most, who spoke up first.

"C..Ciel?! You…!This….!How!?"

"Zero….."she said softly, turning towards the reapers.

"How does Ciel have Shinigami powers?! Her attire doesn't look anything like a normal shihakushou!" exclaimed Rangiku.

"Hmmm…no look closely, the blue cloak is only just that, a cloak like when Ichigo Kurosaki goes into Bankai. Her lower body attire is like that of a Shinigami" said Toshiro.

At his answer, everyone noticed that he was right. Her lower body attire consisted of the standard black pants that all Shinigami wore, along with the white belt and sandals.

"But Ciel….how?! How do you have Shinigami powers?! And that attack….you stopped such a powerful cero!" said X

"I always hated it how I could only watch every time Zero risked his life fighting for the resistance….I was powerless to truly support him when he needed it…..X and the 4 guardians too put their lives in line trying to bring peace to the world, and yet, even then, I could not be there to support them. And yet, I've always been protected all the way. No more…..this time….. **I** will protect you and I will fight alongside you!" she said.

"That's why, when I met Urahara-san, I asked him to help me become stronger. He trained me and after many days, I was able to awaken my Shinigami powers. This here, is **Tenren**." she finished, pointing towards her Zanpakuto and twirling it.

"Heavenly Lotus eh? What a deceitful name for a zanpakuto that hides such a scary ability" commented Weil. "You think I didn't notice? How naïve, your power didn't shield the cero, nor did it redirect the blast. You _erased_ it, didn't you? That's your zanpakuto's ability, the power to erase any reiatsu based attacks into nothingness."

"But that simply means I just need to kill the lot of using my own hands, literally." He thundered, advancing towards Ciel.

" _Damn…I can't take him on in a battle of physical strength….still, I have to protect everyone!_ " she thought to herself, readying her sword. "Heh, bring it on!" she smirked.

Weil lunged towards Ciel, drawing his sword and slashing horizontally. Ciel sidestepped and countered with a slash of her own, which was easily dodged by Weil. Ciel then pointed her index finger towards Weil and shouted " **Byakurai!** ". A white beam of lightning shot towards Weil. "Heh, two can play this game!" he snarled, and said " **Danku!** ". An invisible wall appeared, against which the white lightning beam exploded.

"Don't forget us!" roared Sigma, advancing towards Ciel. Before he could get to her, Yoruichi intercepted him. "and just where do you think you're going?" she said, but not before kicking him in the gut, sending him flying. Omega, on the other hand, rushed towards Urahara. Suddenly closing in towards with a sonido, he thrust forwards and stabbed Urahara in his chest. There was a shocked look on his face, as Omega smirked, "Heh, not so tough are ya?". Then suddenly, there was a huge 'pop' sound as Urahara seemed to burst, as if a balloon popped.

"WHAT?!" shouted Omega, as his smirk turned to a snarl.

"YooHoo~~~Omega-saaan! Oveeer heeereee~~~!" cooed Urahara, in his sing-song voice from behind him.

Omega's scowl turned to astonishment as Urahara appeared before him, unscathed. "How?! You should be dead!"

"You're askin me how I'm still alive, is that it? Well I'm still wondering about that myself~" he replied.

"I'm sure you must be puzzled, you felt your sword connect, yet how is it that I'm still standing here? The answer is…..this" he continued, showing a small, black round object. Omega looked puzzled still. Urahara then began blowing air into it until it expanded, leaving behind a perfect replica of himself.

"….!" Omega's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and even Weil took his eyes off from the battle for a second to watch Urahara.

"A portable gigai!~~" he said, playfully in his sing-song voice.

"What?! A portable Gigai?! I've never heard of such a ridiculous thing!" he remarked.

"Of course not~~I've only just invented it! But of course," he said, beginning to deflate the gigai. "as you can see, it's kinda tricky to use in real battle, so I'm the only one who can use it properly"

"Argh!" Omega grunted.

"So then, do you like it?" Urahara asked. "When I switched places, could you tell?"

"hah…die!" screamed Omega as he charged forwards.

"That won't work anymore" said Urahara darkly, his tone more serious, as he caught Omega's purple reishi Zanpakuto with his bare hands. Omega gasped.

"H..How?!"

"Its simple really…You see, while you fought Ichigo I analyzed your fighting style. So it was simple enough to read your movements. Besides, your 'reishi zanpakuto' may be dangerous since it cuts and burns at the same time. But you forget one thing. If my reishi is higher than yours, you can't cut me with such a sword."

"Urgh…dammit!"

" **Now scream, Benihime**!" he shouted, swinging his sword towards Omega, releasing a blood-red wave. With a whistling sound, it exploded. When the dust cleared, Omega emerged, bruised, but not badly hurt.

"That hurt…THAT HURT YOU SWINE! Soul-Reaper scum! I'll kill you!"

"~~Ooohh I'm scared!~~" remarked Urahara in his sing-song voice.

Omega threw a volley of slashes at Urahara, all of which were easily dodged by him without any effort. "I told you, I've already seen through your technique. It wont work anymore, you…." .

"Heh" he smirked in response, as he raised a single finger, pointing it towards him. Intense, magenta energy began to gather around, forming a magenta orb.

"Oh boy…" said Urahara, stepping back using Flash-step.

"Cero"

A huge, magnificent magenta beam covered sped towards Urahara, almost lighting up the entire battlefield. There was a colossal explosion, with a huge dust cloud hindering the sight of all.

"Disappear into nothingness, scum!"

As the dust cleared, a red shield like barrier extruding from Urahara's sword was becoming visible. Apparently he had shielded everyone using his blood mist shield. "That was a pretty nasty move…how about I return the favor?" said Urahara, swinging Benihime towards Omega. Following a whistle sound, a bright red wave sped towards Omega, which was narrowly dodged by him. But before he could retaliate, another beam followed closely behind, causing an explosion as it hit Omega.

"Why you…" swore Omega, before being stopped by Weil. "Omega, that's enough. You can't beat him."

"Stay out of this Weil, he's mine!"

*sigh* "I guess you'll never learn…" sighed Weil, before using sonido to appear in front of Omega and knocking him out with a single blow to his shoulder blade.

"Now now, don't look at me like that, he'll outlive his usefulness if he dies here and now" said Weil with an evil smirk.

"Don't take your eyes of off me!" shouted Ciel, rushing towards Weil.

"And why did you think that I took my eyes off you?" said Weil, parrying Ciel's sword while not even looking back.

"Heh, don't act so cocky, Dr Weil, you seem to be mistaken about something so let me clear it up for you. My tenren does not erase reitsu, but it _absorbs_ it and makes it my own, which means it's no longer your attack, but my attack." She said, pointing her sword. It started glowing brightly, with a light pink hue, until it seemed to envelope the entire field.

"Cero" smirked Ciel.

An enormous explosion occurred at the space where Weil was last standing, everyone unaware about his condition. Even Urahara watched clueless, only anticipating possibilities. The explosion even caught the attention of the other two esparda and Sigma. Taking this chance, Yoruichi shouted "Shunko!" a brilliant white flash enveloped her sleeves and her upper back, causing the fabric to rip and fade in the wind. She then started pounding Sigma continuously, unleasing a barrage of punches and kicks, and finally, finished with an enhanced kick to his neck. Sigma went flying and crashed into the ground, unconscious.

"And now, all that's left is you lot" she said, turning towards Ulquiorra and Yami.

"Are you sure about that?" asked a sharp voice from behind. Everyone turned to see Weil emerging from the dust cloud, completely unharmed, albeit with his sword in his hand. It was the most beautiful sword anyone had ever seen. It was a flawless hand and a half sword, a golden pommel with a red, diamond shaped jewel in the middle, the pommel making the sword look like a cross of sorts. It gave off a radiance as he twirled it in his hand, but its beauty truly would have been marveled upon if only for the twisted, dark reiatsu coming off from it. "I never mentioned anything about not holding back" he said simply. "So even if you did attack me with my own move, its meaningless"

"But enough of this…Its time I put you all out of your misery" he said, pointing his sword. "I'm getting tired of this façade…..the way I see it, Aizen is a fool for expecting any of you to be of any value whatsoever. Zero, I know you've just awoken, but you were more of a threat when you were a measly reploid. The fact that you've dulled your skills as a Shinigami is a disappointment." The sword's tip was now slowly engulfed in a light that was glowing brighter and brighter as a huge yellow-orange orb began to form at the sword tip. "And don't think you can absorb this one, Dr Ciel. You only barely managed to absorb my last attack by pure impulse. That won't save you now….". Everyone watched wide eyed as the cero became stronger and stronger, the pressure on them from the cero's reiatsu casing them to falter a bit.

" _Damn…. he's right…...I can't absorb an attack of such a magnitude…and I barely managed to absorb the last one…"_

" _How can he have so much power?! And he isn't even using his full strength yet! This is really bad news….this guy alone can take on almost all the captains in the soul society…we already don't have enough power to deal with the arrancars and Aizen, but now when someone like him comes up, only a miracle can save us now….There's no way anyone here can block an attack of this magnitude….!"_ Thought Toshiro frantically. Everyone's thoughts mirrored Toshiro's, Ichigo, Zero and X lowered their swords, Harpuia hung his head, gritting his teeth, Rangiku, Yumichika, Rukia and Renji fell on their knees, and Ikkaku shielded himself, eyes closed.

"Hehehe….Bwahahaha! That's it, fall in despair! Feel fear! Engrave it in your hearts!" laughed Weil with an evil, maniacal look. "And now, DISAPPEAR!"

" _Tch….seems like I have no choice but to use it….."_ thought Urahara. The blast from Weil's sword fired off, causing a loud noise as it made their way towards them.

" **BANKAI** "

 **I'm sorry again for not updating and I know this chapter is short, but I wanted a break for what's to come next. I'll try to update as soon as possible. You may be thinking about Ciel's personality in her Shikai form, as to why I chose her to be so confident and cocky, way different from her original personality. If you notice, her shikai form is very similar for the Cial fanart that's very popular in the internet. Cial, Ciel's sister in the manga series isn't so popular, but it seemed like a cool idea to have a different side to her, so I chose this angle. Do let me know your thoughts too. Again, thanks for reading, I'll try my best to make this story as different and interesting as possible.**


	8. Chapter 8: If only I had power

**Hey guys, as you may have noted, the story lines are completely different than the original bleach storyline. But whatever 'new' stuff I may bring in, like Urahara's bankai for example, I'll try not to bring in any changes in the facts, like his Bankai being different from the one shown in the manga. If there is something I do bring in that's not yet revealed, only then I'll make up something original. But this doesn't mean there won't be any original stuff, there's potential for a load of new stuff now that Zero and his gang have entered Bleach universe.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and Megaman to CAPCOM.**

 **Chapter 8: - If only I had power…..**

" **BANKAI** "

Urahara's shout was barely heard over the sound of the oncoming blast, but nobody could see what happened a second earlier. Everyone expected to be decimated into nothingness and a huge explosion to occur, but as they slowly opened their eyes, they saw Urahara shielding them, and behind them, looming over them was a giant woman with dark, braided hair arranged in loops on her head and mannequin-like arms and wore a _very_ revealing robe.

" **Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame** " he called out the name of his Bankai.

" _Kisuke…so you decided to even use that….!"_ Thought Yoruichi.

"M..Mr Hat and Clogs…what is that?!" asked a bewildered orange haired teen.

"This is my Bankai, Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame, I really don't like to use it with so many people around, so I hope you make it worth my time, Dr Weil"

"Heh…another eye sore….." he smirked back. "Your Bankai is impressive to say the least, but nothing that I can't handle." He said, rushing towards Urahara.

"Are you sure?"

Suddenly, a cut appeared in Weil's arm, that grew larger and larger, and seemed to be splitting his hand clean in half, symmetrically. What's more, even his fingers started splitting in half, when clearly Urahara hadn't even moved an inch. A shocked Weil leapt back in reflex. The moment he stepped back a good deal, his arm started to heal again.

" _What was that? Is that the power of his Bankai? To split things in two? No, there has to be more to it, I mustn't let my guard down…._ "

"I'm sure you must've figured something out…..and you were also right to step back, seeing how my Bankai has a 'range'" said Urahara. "So let me show you for having pushed me this far!"

As he finished, slowly the wounds of the other reapers began to close up, as if someone was sewing them up with a thread and needle. Everyone felt their wounds heal, and even their broken weapons began to mend.

"I see, so this is the power of your bankai….the power to split things in two or stitch things together. An impressive bankai, one that is both powerful offensively and defensively….So that's what you must've done to my cero earlier, you split it apart, and kept repeating the process until it split into a million pieces….well done! Aizen was right when he told me to watch out for you….even if that wasn't it, it WAS you that built something like the hogyoku after all….I admit, I underestimated you, Kisuke Urahara!" answered Weil.

" _He knows about the Hogyoku?! Was it Aizen's doing? He DID say he teamed up with Aizen before, makes sense that he would've told him about the hogyoku as well….._ " thought Ichigo, concerned. His thoughts were mirrored by everyone else.

" _Tch…..that bankai is a real problem….if only I could kill him….then this would be over in an instant…..but Aizen did say not to dispose of him...then again, there's some value in that, someone like Kisuke Urahara could be REALLY useful for my plans…..then, there's no choice now…..?"_

"Hmph…fine…..Esparda! We're leaving….lets go…" ordered the old scientist.

"What?! You don't get to order me around you old twat! I only take them from…."

Before Yami could finish, he was hit squarely in the gut by Ulquiorra, causing him to double back in pain. "HEY,WATCHA DO THAT FOR?!"

"You're a fool Yami…..this is why I told you to master the pesquissa. If you did you could clearly have told the power difference between us and them…..Kisuke Urahara using his bankai was unaccounted for and his power exceeds even mine. And besides,….Lord Aizen has instructed us to follow any order Lord Weil may give out as well, and treat him the same way. So, if he asks us to retreat, we retreat." He finished calmly, his tone never changing.

"Are you running away?" smirked Yoruichi.

"Hardly…..it would take me no time to dispose of you insignificant pests" Weil retorted, while going over to Sigma and Omega's unconscious bodies and retrieving them. "But it seems that Aizen has other plans and so, consider yourselves lucky this time…..But the next time we meet…." He continued, while opening a garganta "I'll personally erase your existence!" He said, with a wide evil grin. Ulquiorra and Yami followed close behind.

When the garganta closed behind them, there was an eerie silence in the field. The aftermath left the park looking more like a war torn city rather than what it was supposed to be. Urahara slowly released his Bankai, and dropped to his knees as well.

"Hah….hah…hah"

"Using my bankai takes a toll on me as well….more so than affecting those around me…" he gasped. A hand slid past behind him.

"Need a hand, kisuke?" asked Yoruichi, with a look of concern on her face. She knew how taxing his Bankai was to his body. "Did you really need to use your bankai, kisuke?"

"Yeah….those two called Omega and Sigma were no problem…..but that man called Weil…no…..Dr Weil, his power was off the charts…it's probably way more than even Aizen himself…I've….I've never sensed power like that before…..Likely, it even outclasses the head captain…." He said, slowly getting up. "Otherwise there's no other way someone like Aizen would team up with a third party and even give them a position of authority _equal_ to his…."

"S..So you're saying that Weil is even stronger than Head Captain Yamamoto?! That's impossible! Even just using his shikhai, head captain's power can easily dwarf any of the Esparda…..and your're saying Weil can beat the Head Captain? Even if he used his Bankai?" stuttered Toshiro, whilst trying to get up.

"What you have to remember, Captain Hitsugaya, is that Dr Weil didn't even use his full powers during this fight either….Remember, back from where he came from, he had enough power to destroy an entire portion of the Earth, for example an entire settlement like area zero….now that he's got hollow power…..he's likely more powerful than even Head captain **with** his bankai released. He did say that even with my Bankai he could easily take me on…..and he doesn't seem the type to make idle threats…." He answered back

"But then this means we would be finished if he chose to attack the Soul Society directly!" breathed Rukia.

Suddenly, there was a loud sound behind them, and they saw Harpuia punching the ground, his fist bleeding.

"DAMN! Again I'm powerless to protect the things that matter to me! First master X and now even here!" screamed Harpuia, hanging his fists to the ground.

"Harpuia-san, please stop! I may have patched you up, but you still need to heal! You.." warned Urahara, but not before Harpuia sprung up and started running and then flash-stepped away.

"Harpuia-san, come back,….Yoruichi-san, please go after him and make sure he's ok. Meet us back at the hideout. " Urahara requested Yoruichi.

"Right, I'm on it!" came the swift reply, before she flash-stepped away.

"His pride must've taken quite the blow…but it can't be helped…..maybe, if he had his previous abilities, he wouldn't have gotten hurt so bad…." Said Zero, helping Ichigo to his feet. Orihime began healing him. "But there's some truth to what he said…I've never felt so powerless before…It's the same as when I failed to save X from Elpizo before he destroyed him….no…..even more so….."

"Zero-kun…." Said Orihime softly.

X then picked himself up from the dirt, mumbling to himself "….I hated to fight,….even more than the fact that I lacked the power to protect something…I always felt why was there a need for anyone to fight each other….I cursed my strength and the destiny that it brought with it for me….But now….."

"My only thoughts were 'If only I had power'…"

"I'm sorry I could not be of much help…I know I said I wanted to protect everyone…I'm sorry I let you down, I…"

*bang*

A head banged against Ciel's head, causing her to look for the one who did it. Rangiku loomed over her face.

"Ow what was that for?! That hurt, Matsumoto-san!" said Ciel, in a surprisingly comical way.

"You're pretty dull for a brilliant scientist you know, where did that confidence go with which you battled?" she retorted in a similar tone.

"Why do you blame yourself so much? …..if you hadn't been here, we would've been obliterated by that creepy old guy's cero blast…..you may have only awakened your powers, but your power is already on par with any seated officer's…" she answered in a more serious tone.

"For once, I can't believe Rangiku actually said something sensible" muttered Renji, deadpanned.

"Hey what was that supposed to mean?!" asked a flustered Rangiku, her girly voice back again.

"Anyway, the point is, you should cherish yourself more" he added.

"But still…to force me to use my Bankai…..a lot more is on stake at this war now…." Said Urahara.

Orihime just about finished healing the soul reapers from the soul society, Ichigo and Zero. She then proceeded to heal Fefnir, but turned away, talking about how these injuries were 'none of her concern'. A load thwack from a nearby annoyed ocean-blue haired ex-reploid to his head and a glare from the same forced him to reconsider and allow himself to be healed.

"There's a limit to being rude you battle-crazed maniac!" she ranted, annoyed.

"I'm sorry hime-san, please don't mind him…..jerk only thinks about what he can pound next….I swear, one of these days…." She continued, in a sweeter tone. Zero, X and Ichigo sweat dropped. Orihime finished within a matter of seconds and went over to leviathan next. As she began, leviathan beamed. " So pretty~~you're like an angel hime-san! You look so pretty too, I'm sure you must have many boys following you around right?"

Orihime's cheeks immediately flared up. She then looked towards Ichigo and then back again in an instant, furiously blushing. Which, did not go unnoticed by Leviathan.

"Oh ho~~so that's what's happening~~~go for it hime-san!" she beamed one again, leaning closer.

"I know right? It seems we both might actually get along pretty well!" interrupted Rangiku.

"You're pretty cute yourself you know….and don't you think you should tell us about _your_ story as well?" she added, pointing towards Zero at the end. This time, Leviathan's face mirrored Orihimes'.

"I-It's not like that!" she said slowly, looking away, blushing fiercely.

At the distance, X and Zero were silently watching the scene. "What's up with Leviathan, how can she stay so calm after all that's happened?" asked Zero.

"My guess is that she's trying her best to cheer up the people around her…..everyone was hit pretty bad, especially Harpuia and Fefnir. She must know no good can come just brooding about it, but she's doing her best not to show it" replied X. Zero turned towards Leviathan once more, and watched her as she was bathed in that golden light as she was healed. That light combined with her ocean blue hair, seemed to make her very existence sparkle. Her eyelashes, her clear, sea blue eyes, and her smile, it was only then he realized, what a truly beautiful person she was. Leviathan turned, to see Zero looking at her, and turned completely red. Zero too, realizing that he'd been staring at her turned away, blushing. X just smiled inwardly.

Orihime finished patching up everyone, Ichigo was surprised that she'd finished so fast.

"Maybe since Urahara-san already healed us to some extent Orihime could heal everyone really quickly" said Uryu.

"Still though, you'd think he would use his Bankai sooner. Not that I'm complaining, but still, he could've still used it when the 1st Cero was fired. We were pretty much screwed then" commented Renji.

"It's not that I didn't want to, but I couldn't use it then. My bankai's spiritual pressure would've probably knocked you out all out cold. By the time the second cero was fired, Dr. Weil had already raised his spiritual pressure even higher. So by using my Bankai's spiritual pressure, I could counter some of his pressure on your bodies" explained Urahara.

"Still, it doesn't seem we're out of the woods yet. He did say he already made preparations for 'humans with above-the-average' spiritual energy. As far as I know, apart from us, we have Tatsuki Arisawa, Kurosaki-san's younger sisters, Chizuru Honsho, Keigo-kun, Mizuiro-kun and Don Kaonji." he called each name as he ticked them off with his fingers.

"I think someone should let the soul society of the recent happenings" mentioned Toshiro.

"The captain's right. Now that a threat even greater than Aizen has appeared, we are nowhere near prepared for such an opponent. We need to leave for the soul society and notify every squad. Maybe…."finished Rukia.

"Maybe what?" inquired Renji.

"We may even need to call in the Zero Squad, if it gets out of hand" she said in a small voice.

There was a long silence following her words. The Zero Squad was undoubtedly the most powerful squad in the soul society, their power much greater than even the combined powers of the gotei 13.

"We can't allow it to come to that" said Toshiro. "It is our duty to protect the soul society, that is what it means to be a member of the gotei 13. No matter the consequences"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but if I may ask, what is the 'Zero squad' ?" inquired X. Ciel, Zero, Leviathan, Fefnir and Phantom also looked their way.

"To put it simply, they are the guardians of the soul king." Answered Rukia.

Everyone then remembered what Rukia told about the soul king while she educated them about the hierarchy of the soul society. How the soul king was a necessary being for the existence of the soul society, heuco mundo and the world of the living. "The gotei 13 exist to protect the soul society and to guide souls in the world of the living and to purify hollows that threaten said existence of souls. But the Zero squad solely exists to protect and defend the Soul King who resides in the Royal Palace that is hidden in a separate dimension in the Soul Society." She explained further.

"We don't know what Aizen and Dr Weil are scheming together, but Aizen was already strong enough to take on many of our captains at once with ease, and someone much _stronger_ than him appears and teams up with him, so we have no choice but to put ourselves on the line"

"Don't worry, we defeated Dr Weil before, and we'll do it again. Even if it costs our lives" said X.

"Anyways, shouldn't we be discussing where these guys will be staying? I doubt they ALL can stay at Mr Hat-and-Clog's place" said Ichigo.

"You do have a point. I can accommodate at most 2 more people. And I think its best if Dr Light chose to stay with me. With his help, we can analyze the enemy's weaknesses since he's more familiar with them than any of us. Although I'm pretty sure the soul society will station someone here as well. So that leaves Dr Ciel, X, Zero and the 4 guardians. Kuchiki-san is already staying at Kurosaki-san's place, so that's out of the option….."

"Why not just take them to the soul society with us?" asked Ikkaku.

"I second that. With their potential, it would be best if they trained in the soul society so they can improve themselves and learn the ways of a soul reaper. Who knows, they may even be given a chance to be members of the gotei 13." Added Yumichika.

"Hmm….you do have a point….but they haven't attended the soul reaper academy so how is the head captain going to allow them to be soul reapers?" asked Rukia.

"That might not be a problem, I already spoke to him the other day and he seemed to like the idea as well. In fact, he would like to see them as soon as possible. But before they can be part of gotei 13, they need to be tested to see where they currently stand" said Urahara.

Everyone was surprised when they heard this, but given his character, it didn't seem out of the world after all. He WAS the previous head of the research and development department of the soul society and also its founder. He always had the means to achieve something. So this sort of thing didn't surprise them for long.

"Ok so now that its settled, let's leave for the soul society after meeting up with Harpuia-san in Urahara-san's base" said Rukia.

Urahara's Base-

Pretty much everyone was completely healed except for Harpuia, whom Orihime healed after Leviathan's 'persuasion'. Urahara created a senkaimon for the soul reapers to leave for the soul society along with X, Zero, Ciel and the 4 guardians. Before they left, Dr Light said "Take care of yourselves everyone. I'm sorry about not being able to help much. Being with Urahara-san will help me know the ways of this world, and since I'm aware of how your powers worked, I can help you out and also the soul reapers in whatever way I can. Please come back safely." Everyone bid their farewells and prepared to leave.

"Bye bye leviathan-san! Please come again!" shouted Orihime, openly being sad about the blue fairy's departure.

"Don't worry Hime-san!I'll definitely be stronger the next time we meet!" she replied back.

"Later then!" said Ichigo, waving his hands. X and Zero replied in kind, before vanishing into the portal along with the others.

"Now then…..we have work to do" said Urahara, wringing open his fan.

Reformed Heuco Mundo, Los Noches-

As the doors to Los Noches Throne room flew open, everyone could make out the figures of Ulquiorra, Yami and Dr Weil making their way towards them, with Dr Weil carrying Omega and Sigma over his shoulders. There were mixed reactions, some snickered, others remained neutral, while the rest looked on curious.

"Heh, don't look so tough now, do they?" snickered Grimmjow.

"Be quiet Grimmjow, Lord Aizen has told us not to…." Remarked Hannibel, before being interrupted by Grimmjow.

"I'm not talking about the old geezer, woman, it's those two he's carrying! All bark and no bite, heh"

"We're yet to determine the causes of their current condition, please refrain from making snide comments" she replied calmly.

"Why you little…"

"Normally you're no better trash than they are, but I'll agree with you once" snickered Nnoitra Gliga, the 5th Esparda. Grimmjow glared daggers at him.

"Enough of this. They are arriving. Let's hear it from them directly"

When they entered, they saw Yami bruised here and there, but regenerating fast, Ulquiorra who didn't get involved in the fight completely ok, Dr Weil carrying two unconscious arrancars over his back. The two were completely bruised with burn marks covering their bodies, although their bodies were also recovering.

"Interesting…..it seems Kisuke Urahara gave you more trouble than you asked for Dr Weil" he remarked slyly.

"Heh, if you hadn't told me to leave them alive, this wouldn't have taken a second" he barked back. "Still, you didn't tell me he could his Bankai" he finished.

This surprised Aizen as well. "What's this? His Bankai you say? You've piqued my interest. No one except the Head captain, Retsu Unohana and Yoruichi Shihouin are aware of his Bankai…this knowledge will prove to be much useful in the upcoming battles…pray show us what you saw Ulquiorra…."

"Yes sir" he replied simply, after removing one of his eyes, and crushing it, causing it to shatter like glass, and fill the minds of everyone with the events that transpired. After it ended, there was a long silence, as everyone was taking in everything that happened.

"Hmm…..very interesting" Aizen remarked, as he saw the part when Ciel entered the fray, and also when Orihime healed Chad. "Kisuke Urahara, that bankai of his is going to be quite the problem…."

"Hehehe I've already made preparations for something like this…I'm pretty sure Dr Ciel and the others will leave for the soul society, meaning, Karakura town is vulnerable now. I have just the person for this job. I can't believe someone like this existed and who would've thought he was created by the same person who made X? I modified his soul so that all of his full potential can be drawn out as compared to when he was still _functional._ So why don't you join your comrade-in-arms?" he called out to the darkness. From there, footsteps could be heard, slowly advancing, and a menacing spiritual energy that grew stronger and stronger as it approached further. When the figure finally entered the throne room, they all saw the figure of an arrancar with a striking similarity to X, albeit a much younger version of him. He had the same light brown hair, a half cracked blue helmet, with bright red eyes and two metal blades at his hands.

"Meet Megaman"

 **I know I said I would update sooner, but had lots of work unexpectedly and was also partially lazy to type after all my work, so hence the delay. It's almost been a month now. Will try to bring in updates faster. Before anything else, I would like to clarify the ages of the megaman characters** _ **look wise**_ **. Obviously their actual ages are hundreds of years.**

 **Zero- 20-21**

 **X- 21, same as Harpuia and the other guardians.**

 **Dr Ciel-23-24**

 **Omega-Exactly the same as Zero**

 **Sigma- 30**

 **Dr Weil- 60's**

 **Also, the characters themselves look like humans now, with no helmet and human like features instead of their armor. Everyone is in soul reaper attire. Just thought I'll mention it since it's kinda hard to picture them any other way. And as a side note, YES, it's the same megaman from the classic series who appeared in the last paragraph, and what he's holding are metal blades from the megaman 2 series. Please do review and finally, thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9: This is really the afterlife?

**Yaay, finally hit 1000 views! I made a Ciel in Shinigami Outfit fanart in deviantart, my username is sreshtiyer, do check it out and leave a review! As to why I didn't update so far, my new sem has started, so I haven't had so much time to focus on this. I'm really glad everyone liked the megaman debut in this story in the last chapter. I will try my best to keep the story as fresh and intriguing as possible.**

 **Reply to TheSuperMario: Thanks for the detailed and constructive review, I'm really glad! But you seem to have misunderstood something. Copy X did not appear. The guy with metal blades in the last chapter was Megaman from the 'Classic' series, that is the one with the robot masters, not copy X. And regarding Omega, he WILL defect from Weil, but remember that even he had to obey Weil's orders simply because Weil is stronger than him and is keeping him under his palm. So he simply cannot defy Weil. Him being independent will happen much later on. As of now, he's part of Weil's army. Finally, the premise is not only of Zero series, this fanfiction includes everything UNTIL the Zero 4 past timeline, hence the presence of Dr Light. He was sent by the dark elf because he is the maker of X and Megaman, hence Dark Elf deemed his presence necessary given his knowledge. Hope this cleared everything up! Thanks again for the review!**

 **Special thanks to JGM16 and TheSuperMario for the continuous support and also for the reviews from everyone. Thanks again for reading and as always, do leave a review, it would help keep me motivated to update faster!**

 **Chapter 10: - This is really the afterlife?**

 **-** **Los Noches-**

"Meet Megaman" introduced Wily, pointing over to the young looking arrancar with a striking similarity to X. Megaman looked to be around 14-15 years old, completely cloaked in a dark, black cloak, with his two hands holding something akin to metallic disks or cutting wheels. His face was partially covered by a half missing blue helmet, glowing red eyes and light brown hair.

The spiritual pressure he gave out was not as potent as Omega's or Sigma's, but was remarkable nonetheless. He just stood there, saying nothing.

"Heh, we get a half-assed punk now? First two goofballs who get their asses kicked then and now a pipsqueak? The old geezer is senile if he thinks this punk's any threat…." Remarked Grimmjow. "Now that I've made myself clear, scram kid!" shooed Grimmjow, waving a hand towards Megaman.

* **Thung** *

It happened in an instant. A blur followed by the sound of metal hitting stone. When everyone noticed, what they saw left them bewildered. One of the blades in the boy's hand had embedded itself in the wall, smeared with blood. Grimmjow's hand had been sliced clean off. It was only then that he even noticed the damage.

"AAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHH! MY ARM! I'LL KILL HIM!"

But Megaman wasn't done. What happened next puzzled even Aizen. Megaman's reiatsu changed, and while it gave off a marsh green aura before, now, it was pinkish orange. Extending his arm, Megaman fired off a pinkish orange shot, which stuck to Grimmjow's severed arm, and after half a second, exploded violently, causing small crater in the ground and a dent in the nearby wall. No trace of the arm remained.

"Crash Bomber" he said quietly. Hearing his voice for the first time, they all found it to be surprisingly soft, but still hid a taint of darkness in it.

"What was that? How did his reaitsu change like that?" asked Gin.

"I agree, if I had to describe it in terms of the color it gave out, at first it was marsh-green, and now, it changed to pinkish orange…is that his ability?" wondered Hannibel.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU MUMBLING ABOUT? HE JUST ATTACKED ME!" raged on Grimmjow, blood still dripping from his stump.

"Grimmjow, don't blame us for your own carelessness, you had that coming" droned Ulquiorra.

"Hehe I see that you all noticed….as you suspected, Megaman has the ability to change his reaitsu type, which also means his attacks also change accordingly. If I remember correctly, he can use over 80 different types of 'forms'." He explained.

"80?!"

"You see, back when he was still a robot, he had the ability to copy the abilities of the foes he defeated, but his creator, Dr Light, made it so that Megaman could only use 8 abilities at a time. This was because if he kept on absorbing more power from others, he became more aggressive and dangerous and had little control over his actions. But when I resurrected him as an arrancar, I made sure to remove that annoying limiter to his abilities. Hence theoretically speaking, Megaman should be much stronger than even X, with his arrancar abilities to add to." finished Wily.

"Very interesting….it seems it wasn't all talk after all….very impressive Dr Wily," remarked Aizen.

"So then, what would you have him do? I recall you having some plans with the world of the living" continued Aizen.

"Megaman will go and intercept the 'special humans' that you spoke off….lets see if they're anything to go by….it would be interesting to see what abilities they've gained from the hogyoku…"

"Very well…just keep in mind that you are NOT to harm Ichigo Kurosaki at all costs….the others….are expendable"

"And as for you Grimmjow, I'm very disappointed with the events that transpired between you and Megaman here. I believe you've just lost your position as 6th Esparda, haven't you?" remarked Aizen, turning towards Grimmjow.

The next instant later, Aizen snapped his fingers, following which the 6th Esparda symbol began to disintegrate, until it left his back completely bare. The helplessness was very evident in Grimmjow's eyes.

"Yes….Lord Aizen…I won't….it won't happen again…." He replied begrudgingly.

"Now that that's taken care of, why don't you have Grimmjow accompany Megaman?" smirked Wily. This caused Grimmjow to frown and grit his teeth, but a quick look from Aizen made him drop his head.

"Sure thing, but let me remind you once more, Ichigo Kurosaki is to be kept alive at all costs. No matter what you plan, he WILL try to stop you. Do not make the mistake of underestimating him"

"Heheheh you needn't worry about details like that, his presence is of no consequence to my plans…" assured Wily with an evil smile.

"So, you heard him Megaman, go on! You are to intercept Kurosaki Ichigo and Grimmjow will commence an all-out offensive at Kisuke Urahara's base. Understood?"

Megaman just shook his head, while Grimmjow said nothing. Together, both proceeded to the world of the living.

 **-The world of the living-**

"So Mr. Hat and Clogs, what's our next move?" inquired Ichigo.

"Looking from how he left, it's pretty obvious that we've been lucky that we all got out alive…..He did mention that he had 'plans' for the people I mentioned earlier. If he choose to attack again,…..I'm not sure we'd be able to do anything…." Answered Urahara, while looking lost.

" _I've never seen him look so shaken up before…..just the fact the someone Mr Hat and Clogs can't understand….terrifies me more….."_

"For now, Iet's call over all these guys over to my place. We can hide them in the training grounds. Atleast this way, we can protect them if they do choose to attack us. As for your siblings….I'm sure they'll be fine, if HE is back" said Urahara.

The last statement took the carrot-top soul reaper completely by surprise. What did he mean by 'your siblings will be fine'?! There were no soul reapers in his area, so then what was he thinking? The four of them were definitely not sufficient to protect the kurosaki siblings from someone like Weil, so why?...

"What are you saying, Mr. Hat-and-Clogs?! How the hell can you leave them alone!? I'm heading over to my place right now! Chad! Uryu! Orihime! Please go and get the others, make up some excuse, but don't let them know the current situation. I'll go get my sisters!" he said, speeding along in the direction of his house.

Urahara sighed, clearly he would've known this kid wouldn't stand idly by when something like this happened. Good lord! He already had enough going on today, and clearly he was in no mood to get into an argument. " _Oh well, he would've found out some day anyways, might as well let go…."_ he thought to himself.

Orihime, Chad and Uryu replied in the affirmative and proceeded to get the other 'special' people Weil had hinted and Urahara mentioned earlier. Orihime went to get Tatsuki and Chizuru, Chad towards Mizuiro and Keigo's places along with Uryu.

"So I take it you have some plan Urahara-san? Mind filling me in as well?" inquired Dr Light.

"Yeah, you'd never involve ordinary humans. What are you planning, Kisuke?" continued Yoruichi.

*sigh* "Oh well, no point keeping you in the dark, so here's the thing…"

 **-The Soul Society, Rukongai District 78, Inuzuri-**

A blinding flash was followed by a traditional Japanese door appearing at the streets of Inuzuri. For a door that was supposed to be rectangular appearing in a circular portal would have struck off as weird, if not for that being the regular norm for the residents of the afterlife. But it wasn't completely normal since the residents of this section weren't accustomed to seeing senkaimon appearing too often.

A large group poured out of the portal, all dressed in Shinigami outfits. Heads of all colors glanced around the area they had wound up.

"The 78th District eh?" said Ikkaku to himself. Rukia and Renji had a moment of nostalgia.

"So this is the afterlife? Not quite the welcoming I expected from 'paradise'" commented Zero, the disappointment heavy in his voice.

"So if good people end up in a place like this, I really wonder about the bad guys" added Leviathan.

"Hmm, although it looks like this, this is only one of the 80 Districts in Rukongai, the 1st District being the highest class and the 80th District being the worst place. We're currently in the 78th District, Hanging Dog, so this shouldn't be surprising" explained Toshiro.

"Oh so there exists social classes even in the afterlife? That's new, I must admit" said Harpuia.

"But then again, the entire concept of being dead and souls is by itself new isn't it?" Questioned X.

"Well, you'll get used to it soon enough. For now, let's to the seireitei" mentioned Yumichika.

"Wait so this isn't where the soul reapers reside?" asked Phantom.

"Not quite, I'll explain as we move" replied Toshiro.

Since everyone couldn't use flash-step, it took about an hour till the seireitei came into view. The first thing they saw was a towering white buildings enclosed in what seemed to be huge walls. As they got closer, they saw a huge person, in Shinigami garb, standing in front of a gate. Obviously he must be the gate keeper of this place.

As the party approached him, the giant greeted them. "Good day Captain, Vice captains!" and proceeded to open the doors for them. "Thanks Jidanbou" came the swift reply.

As they entered, they could make out more detail to the buildings. Old styled low roofed buildings as far as the eye could see stretched before them. Every once in a while, a tower like structure was built, presumably marking important locations. But the building style was what threw them off. Never had the Reploid party seen such alien structures in their entire lifetimes. These buildings looked like they had been built with wood and stone rather than metal, things so rare that it was once in a blue moon one chanced upon it back at their time. And there were no power stations or any of the sort too. Where do these guys harvest energy from? Strange.

 **-Meanwhile, 1** **st** **Division Barracks, Head Captain's quarters-**

"Sir, we have confirmed the return of the team headed by Captain Hitsugaya from the World of the Living along with unidentified soul reapers. They all have quite high levels of spirit energy" reported a messenger.

"I see. Very well. Send out word to the other captains and call for a captain's meeting immediately. Send word to Captain Hitsugaya to join us and also bring our guests along as well" ordered the old soul reaper.

"Yes sir!" came the affirmative and with a flash, he was gone.

 **\- Toshiro's Team-**

As the team approached towards a particularly large looking tower, someone intercepted them. He looked like a messenger of sorts, with an attire very similar to what phantom's army reploids in the stealth division wore.

"Reporting sir, Head Captain Yamamoto has requested a Captain's meeting and also ordered you to bring in the unidentified Soul Reapers along as well" he said.

"Very well. I shall be there shortly" he replied, following which the messenger disappeared.

"Well you heard him, I want all of you to return to your divisions, while I take them to see the Head Captain." Ordered the white-haired Captain. The soul reapers gave an affirmative and flash-stepped away.

"Well then, let's go shall we? Don't want to keep the Head Captain waiting"

 **-Later, 1** **st** **Division Barracks-**

The huge twin doors of the division barracks flew open, following which a White haired captain with a group of soul reapers entered.

"Ah Captain Hitsugaya, you're here. The others have already gathered, so we can get started with the Captain's meeting" boomed the Head Captain's voice. As the ex Reploids entered the room, they noticed a line of soul reapers at both their sides, all of them having the white captain's haori like Toshiro's, except for one gruff looking male soul reaper, who looked ridiculous in a woman's pink, flowery kimono. For them to be called the gotei 13, there were only 10 of them. After a while it struck them that those reapers must've been the traitors. So, all three of them were captains, they thought collectively.

"The reason I have called you all here is to inform you of the new enemy that has appeared in the World of the Living. Captain Hitsugaya here is here to give us a status report on the recent attack at Karakura town. Also, we will be having some new recruits joining us" he finished.

"But firstly, who are they?" asked a female Captain in a stern voice, her eyes cold as ice.

"I think it would be better to hear Captain Hitsugaya's report first, if anything is to make sense" suggested a weird looking Captain, with a mask like face and a blue tuff of hair.

"Alright then, Captain Hitsugaya, please begin your report, and leave no details out"

So he began narrating the story about X, Zero Dr Ciel and the 4 Guardians, how they were part of a very futuristic world in a different dimension with metal machines called Reploids, Sigma, the Maverick virus, the elf wars, Dr Weil, the Dark Elf and ultimately his downfall. Then he began telling about how they all had been reborn as souls in this world, retaining their memories thanks to the mother elf, and Wily's revival. As he got to the part about what happened during the battle at Karakura town, he continued in a shaking tone.

"He was a complete monster, Kisuke Urahara even used his Bankai and he still wasn't using his full power to counter his bankai. The rest of us were completely powerless even against Sigma and Omega. From what I could sense, his full power could very well even exceed the head captain's in his **bankai** state" he finished.

Hearing this made left an eerie silence in the room. All of them had shocked expressions, even Captain Unohana, Ukitake and Kyoraku, the ones who were most often the most composed of them all. Seeing Captain Hitsugaya describe someone this way got their minds thinking. No way someone was stronger than the Head Captain with his Bankai! Surely Toshiro must've been misunderstood!

"That's impossible…..there couldn't be an _arrancar_ stronger than the head captain, even if that arrancar was born from a vasto lorde" said Captain Komamura, breaking the silence.

"Believe me, I know full well about the capabilities of the Head Captain and the fearsome power he holds. So I would never mistake someone's reiatsu so easily" he retaliated, sweating.

"So then, if he really was so much stronger, how the hell are you still alive?" asked Kenpachi Zaraki.

Toshiro then explained about how Dr Ciel saved them initially and then Urahara's bankai prolonged the fight further, before finally being concluded by Aizen caling off the attack and making Wily withdraw.

"Aizen's working with this guy?!" exclaimed Captain Ukitake.

"That's right, Aizen was already strong enough to take on so many captains unscathed, and now with someone like him joining forces with Aizen…..the grim reality is that we may not survive if they decide to launch an assault on the soul society with the full brunt of their forces." Concluded Toshiro.

"And that is why Kisuke Urahara requested me that I train these 7, since they are the once that defeated this Dr Wily in their world before. If they recover their former powers, they may be what we need to eliminate this enemy" said Yamamoto.

"So that's why…it all makes sense now…" commented Ukitake.

"So now that everything's clear, we want you to train us. As we waste more time, Weil is one step closer to destroying us all!" said Harpuia impatiently, before being interrupted by a very beautiful looking mature woman, Captain of the 4th Division.

"Harpuia-san was it? I understand your concern but we mustn't rush things, you are all tired from your previous battles, take rest and let us discuss our next move. We still need to test you to see your current capabilities." she said in a calm, sweet voice. Something about that seemed off, like she was hiding a part of herself.

"No, we can't afford to sit and chat, I'm done waiting, if you're with me then…"

" _ **Harpuia-san…..please don't rush things and get rested…if you're still going to be so impatient, I'll**_ _ **personally**_ _ **train you right now…"**_ she finished in a dangerously sweet tone, still maintaining that smile on her face, making it all the more creepy.

This much was too much for the green haired ex reploid to take and he backed away without so much as a word, sweating profusely. Holy Shit! This was one scary lady! He didn't feel this scared even when he faced Dr Weil in battle! The rest of the ex reploids and Dr Ciel sweatdropped. Looks like this place had more to show than they assumed after all.

"We shall do as told ma'am" they all replied in a small voice.

"Oh my, you don't have to be so formal! Just get rested for now, and take that time to think things through. I promise that we'll start training next thing tomorrow!" she said, back to her normal, sweet voice, causing the others to sweatdrop again.

"Heh can't wait to see if they amount to anything" snorted Kenpachi.

"Fascinating…..they shall prove to be much useful research material!"remarked Mayuri in glee with a big grin.

" _Hmm….that short purple haired one…I get a feeling he'll be very resourceful amongst the stealth force"_ Soi-Fon.

"And so, we shall have a sparring session tomorrow to test where you all stand amongst us in the 11th Barrack grounds, and you shall be given positions that suit your skill and prowess. That is all. You are all dismissed" boomed the Head Captain, tapping his cane in the ground.

 **Hey guys, sorry about not updating for so long, college has been really stressful with all my exams and projects crammed in one semester. I shall try to keep updating as much as possible, and thanks again for your reviews, they mean a lot. Please also let me know what you feel about this style of writing. And once again, thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10: Entry to Gotei 13

**A/N: Hey Guys, I'm finally able to work on this chapter, since I was busy with writing my other noblesse x fairy tail one shot fanfic. Thanks for reading and also for all your reviews, favorites and follows, I'll try my best not to disappoint :D.**

 **JGM16:- Yeah, it's finally training time! And about squad 12, time will tell :D :D**

 **Chapter 10: - Entry to Gotei 13**

After the meeting, Toshiro led the ex reploids from the barracks of squad 1.

"You'll all need a place to stay till you're all assigned ranks, so until then, you'll stay at the special quarters we've allotted you. Follow me." Said Toshiro.

It was nearly evening, and the sunset cast a reddish glow over the twilight skies. Zero pondered just when he'd seen such a scene. It seemed like a scenario from so long ago. All the fighting he'd been doing all his time as a reploid and maverick hunter, evoked awe even towards something so mundane.

"It's beautiful" remarked Leviathan.

"Hmm?" came the response from Toshiro.

"The sunset….I never imagined it would look so beautiful….." she added.

"Really?" asked Toshiro. "You've never seen the sun set?"

"It's not that…most of my duties required me to stay deep in the oceans, and even when I worked in the surface, I never got the chance to enjoy life as the humans would, and now that I'm more like a human myself….I guess you could say I can finally experience that as well…the peaceful life that the humans crave so much and fought for"

All the reploids had similar expressions, one of sorrow and happiness, a bittersweet moment of their past lives and their current.

"Well, I don't really know what to say, since I can never know how it must've been for you all, but I'm glad it turned out for you well" said Toshiro in a sympathetic voice. "In any case, we're nearly there, so I suggest you all rest up, tomorrow's gonna be a long day for you all. I can tell you that the trial will test every aspect of your abilities, so be sure to give it your all. Because that will decide how each of you will be trained and what squad you'll be placed under." Instructed Toshiro.

"Roger" came the collective reply.

Ahead of them they saw an old style Japanese house, with a plain wooden door. "There are separate rooms for men and women, men to the left and women to the right" said Toshiro. "I'll see you in the morning then" he finished, disappearing with a flash.

"Oh so I'm with Dr Ciel!" exclaimed the blue haired Fairy. Ciel smiled uncomfortably. The others sweatdropped.

"So that leaves the rest of us then" said X, moving towards the room.

"Well, good night then" said Zero to the girls and proceeded inside. The 4 Guardians just waved and did the same. The girls disappeared into the opposite room.

X and Zero found that their room was quite big, with 5 separate cots laid out neatly. It was even complete with a backyard door, with a huge hot spring and a clear view of the starry night. The inside of the room also had cupboards with standard Shinigami uniforms for them to wear. But fatigue let them take over and they decided to rather go directly to sleep rather than take a dip at the tempting hot springs. None of them could actually sleep, given the events that transpired in the last few hours, they needed time to absorb it all. All of them just lay on their backs, looking at the ceiling and thinking about everything that happened. Zero broke the silence.

"Still awake?"

"Hmm" came the soft response from everyone.

"Say….should we go check out the ladies?" he asked slowly.

There was a loud crashing noise, as his nearest roommate fell out of his bed in a rather extreme way.

"Zero!?" shouted Harpuia, who had just fallen out of his bed.

"What did you just say?!" came the equally shocked statement from X.

"Whoa is that some effect of being tired and being in a human body?!" asked Fefnir. Phantom just covered his face, unable to comprehend what just happened.

"Have you lost it?!" asked Harpuia again. Throughout all the time he'd known Zero, this was unheard of. Even X, who had known his best friend for the longest out of all of them, had never seen _this_ side of him.

"Who knows? Probably the effects of being in a human body, it's like my thoughts and feelings are more…free and diverse" said Zero.

Harpuia just stood gaping. The person whom he'd considered his rival, a proud warrior like himself, he didn't expect Zero of all people to say something like that. "Anyways, I have no interest in such foolishness. I'm a proud warrior. I won't indulge in such behavior" he replied sternly, going back to bed.

" _*sigh* It looks like he's slowly reverting to his older, carefree personality….. those were some good times…I wonder if this is how Zero would've been, had things been peaceful…..maybe not just him, perhaps the rest of us might also change with the comparatively peaceful times of this world…"_ thought X.

"Heh, I never knew you're into those things, but you've got guts, I'll give ya that!" remarked Fefnir. "Normally, I'd totally agree for adventure, but I'll pass for this one" he smirked, going back to sleep.

"Throughout all my stealth missions, I must admit, I've never seen you like _this_ Zero" remarked Phantom in a small voice.

"Wait, you've been spying on me the whole time?!" exclaimed Zero.

"Well, you WERE the enemy, it only makes sense that there would be a few missions to spy on the enemy for intel, though I must admit, this side of you isn't all that bad either" he said.

"…"

"Anyways, like that white haired kid said, tomorrow'll be a long day, so I'm gonna call it quits for now"

"G'night!"

 **The girl's room-**

The girls were in the same state as the men in the other room, neither could get an inch of sleep. The rooms were identical to the men's rooms, but the two decided to take a dip in the hot springs before going to bed.

"Aah this feels great, doesn't it, Dr?" remarked Leviathan.

"Just call me Ciel" she replied.

"Oh, alright"

Suddenly, she notices Ciel's chest, then her own, and let out a small sigh.

"What's wrong?" asked Ciel.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all" she replied, with a comical smile on her face.

"Say, can I ask you something?" asked Ciel.

"Hmm?"

"You were part of the Neo Arcadian army weren't you? How does this all feel to you? With human bodies, human minds…"

"Hm…I don't know how to put it, but if I had to say, I feel more…unrestrained. As if thoughts that I would've never had, are beginning to surface, a hidden part of myself"

Ciel just chuckled.

"I'm happy you feel that way. I've always fought to establish a world where reploids and humans can live together in peace. This world somehow reminds me of that. And Zero and the others have also been bought back as humans, something I only dreamt of….when I lost Zero, I could only blame myself for putting him through all that, if I hadn't found in in the first place, he wouldn't have had to die…..so when I came here, I knew I could bring him and the others back as well."

" _So….Ciel, you actually…"_

"Well, anyways, like Toshiro mentioned, we've got a long day tomorrow, lets give it our best!" said Ciel.

 **Next day morning, Squad 11 training grounds-**

The ex reploids and the blonde haired scientist stood in full Shinigami attire, with their Zanpakuto given to them by Urahara. Surrounding them were many soul reapers from various divisions, all the vice captains and captains had come to watch the new recruits fight. The girls, it seemed had arrived on time, but the guys remained in bed, causing an angry Toshiro to personally kick them out of their respective beds. The ex reploids however, only found the whole thing funny, to see a high school kid getting worked over trying to wake a few adolescent men. The 5 warily woke up, soon remembered what they were supposed to be doing, refreshed quickly and made it to the squad barracks, following Toshiro, only to the girls already there. They only smiled at them, causing the males to look away, embarrassed.

When all of them were assembled, the head captain's voice boomed over the entire ground.

"We are gathered here today to assess the special recruits sent over by Kisuke Urahara. The trial will consist of testing each one of them in terms of various factors like speed, strength, stealth and so on. From what I've heard, they've all also been introduced to the basics of Kido, so this will include a measure of their Kido prowess as well. They shall be tested by either Vice Captains or if the need arises, captains. Let us begin! Since a few soul reapers have already witnessed their abilities, they are refrained from volunteering themselves, as their fighting style would be familiar to them" he added.

"Aww come on!" groaned Ikkaku, as he was looking forwards to fighting Zero after watching him fight against Ichigo.

"The head captain does have a point; If we need to see their full potential, it is better to see how they would fare against an opponent whom they've never seen before" said Yumichika, consoling Ikkaku.

"If that's the case, I'll go first" said Shuhei, stepping forwards.

"Then, I'm your opponent" remarked Harpuia, stepping forwards drawing his two Zanpakuto.

"Dual Wielding eh? Interesting" remarked Shuhei. Shunsui and Ukitake also watched closely, mirroring shuhei's thoughts.

Shuhei dashed forwards and slashed across his torso, which was quickly parried by Harpuia. Harpuia then began a series of cross slashes with remarkable speed, which Shuhei was somehow blocking with difficulty. Sometimes, it came so fast, he had to dodge by a hair's breadth. He even had to use flash step once to back away.

"You're pretty good…tell me, what's your name?" asked Shuhei.

"Harpuia"

"Harpuia…..Some great sword skills you've got there, all from being in your world I presume? In that case, I shall fight you without holding back" he said.

"Holding back?!"

"Yeah, sorry about that I'll be more serious now"

"Now **Reap, Kazeshini!** " he cried, following which his Zanpakuto transformed into two, dark black dual scythes connected by a chain.

"Here I come!" he shouted, throwing One of the blades towards him in a spinning flurry. Harpuia side stepped and went ahead to retaliate, only to be grazed by the returning blade. The blade then circled around him until he was tied up by the chain.

"You left yourself wide open there" claimed shuhei, rushing forwards to slice him with the other scythe.

In a frantic effort, Harpuia opened one of his palms and chanted " **Hado 58, Tenran!** ", and a huge tornado sped towards Shuhei, who was caught off guard and was blown away. Using his Zanpakuto, he broke free of the Hado spell.

"I hope that teaches you not to hold back when fighting me!"

"Heh…..I'll admit I didn't expect that…..now I know for sure, I can fight without worrying….apologies"

Shuhei then flash stepped right in front of Harpuia and unleashed a flurry if attacks from his Zanpakuto, rapidly alternating from both hands. Being an expert at dual wielding, Harpuia could parry or dodge most attacks. Suddenly, stepping back a bit, he swung his sword multiple times, unleashing multiple purple coloured energy waves.

"!"

"A Getsuga Tenshou?!"

"But that can't be!"

"No, it's something else!"

As the slashes approached Shuhei, stepped away and dodged away most of them, and the last one he sliced into two, sending them behind him. Half of it hit one of the quad buildings and the other hit the ground. But what he didn't notice was that in that instant he could see a flash of purple, Harpuia had disappeared, and suddenly, his shoulder was sliced open, gushing out blood. Harpuia was standing behind him, with his swords crossed downwards.

"Fast!" he exclaimed.

" _What in the world?! Was that Flash Step?! That was way faster that even Soi Fon!"_ thought Ukitake with wide eyes.

"That was one hell of an attack, pretty darn fast too.." remarked Shunsui.

"Though it appears he's yet to master it" remarked Unohana.

"Damn…you're pretty good…..and you're telling me you haven't even called out your Zanpakuto!?" gasped Shuhei. "But even if that may be, you're still yet to master Flash Step, you've still got a lot to learn…time to finish this" said Shuhei, disappearing in a flash step and slashing Harpuia squarely in the torso. Harpuia stepped back, frazzled. "I'm not done yet!" he cired.

" **Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro!** " shouted Shuhei, causing six rods of light to firmly hold Harpuia in place.

" **Hado 33, Sokatsui!** " cried Hisagi again, an enormous blue orb of reitsu shot from his hands that hit Harpuia in the face, knocking him out for good.

"You're pretty good, I look forwards to seeing you again" said Hisagi, panting.

"Huh…Harpy got his ass handed to him" said Leviathan.

"These guys are something else! I can't wait to get started." Rasped Fefnir, smashing his fists together.

Ciel, X and Zero moved in to bring an unconscious Harpuia back, only to have Unohana interrupt them.

"I'll have him treated by squad 4, there's no need to worry. I've already given him some treatment. For now, just finish your trials" she said in her usual sweet voice. The 3 then unwillingly backed away.

"Remarkable….it seems Kisuke Urahara was not exaggerating when he said the things he did. I cannot fathom how the rest would fare" remarked the head captain.

"heh, now they're really getting my hopes high!" claimed Captain Zaraki.

"Ooh I can't wait to see the others!" chimed the pink haired lieutenant of squad 11.

"If that's done, I'll go next" remarked Omaeda, the lieutenant of squad 2.

"Ooh so it's the stealth force next!" claimed one voice in the audience.

"Stealth force huh? Then, I'll grace you all with my presence" said Phantom, stepping forwards.

"Judging from earlier, I've learnt not to underestimate you guys, so I'm going to go all out from the beginning" remarked Omaeda. " **Now crush him, Gegetsuburi**!" His Zanpakuto transformed into a cannonball of sorts, with spikes covering its surface and a long chain to hold and swing it from.

"When you said Stealth Force, I assumed someone who wouldn't reveal oneself in battle and resort to attacking from the shadows, like an assassin. To come at me with a frontal attack, and that plump body, tell me, are you REALLY part of the stealth force?" smirked Phantom.

"Why you, I was gonna go easy on you, but that's it, newbie or not, you're done for!" roared Omeada, swinging his Zanpakuto and sending it towards phantom. An instant before it hit him, he disappeared.

"Now I know, someone so pathetic as to fall for a provocation from an enemy, couldn't be part of the stealth force." Said a voice from behind. "And sadly, you're the one that's gonna be 'done for'". Phantom slashed him multiple times with a burst of speed, and delivered a blow to his neck, knocking him out. "If you're an assassin, leaving your back open to an enemy should be the last thing you should do" he finished, preparing to go back.

Everyone in the vicinity gasped, clearly shocked at the speed at which he finished a lieutenant of the stealth force, and without even awakening his full powers.

" _That fool, he's put the entire division to shame. But still, this man isn't all talk either. When he used flash step earlier, all traces of his reitsu and even his entire presence vanished, even if just for an instant…what was that?! I've never heard of anyone erasing their entire presence so perfectly. But even so, I can't let him walk out after mocking our division!"_ thought Soi-Fon and stepped in herself. "Hold it right there, you're not done quite yet. Marechiyo here is a foolish good for nothing coward….I wouldn't want you to judge us because of…. _him…_ Now, you'll face me, the captain of the Stealth Force, Soi-Fon!"

"Very well, I'm honoured to be fighting you, from one captain to another of our Stealth Forces" said Phantom. "I'm Phantom"

"Interesting….I hope you're not all talk!"

As both fighters took stance, with a sudden move, both disappeared and struck each other mid air, when they reappeared, parried each other's strikes and backed away. Then, phantom created multiple copies of himself, and all of them proceeded to strike with amazing speed.

"Heh, you're not the only one with those kinds of tricks!" remarked Soi-Fon, before doing the same. This shook Phantom for a second, before each progressed forwards and both intercepted each other's clones, all the while flash stepping continuously. It was so blurry; only occasional flashes could be seen whenever their swords parried. Phantom then shot several shuriken made of spirit energy, all of which were easily parried by her sword. Then, all of a sudden, both of them jumped in opposite directions, panting.

"You're pretty good, I take back what I said" panted Phantom.

"Heh, well, I'll admit, you're not bad yourself" she breathed back.

"This'll be my best shot, brace yourself!" he cried, before disappearing completely. Soi-Fon just stood there, turning here and there, looking for him. " _Damn, again! So what I saw earlier wasn't an illusion! He really did disappear completely. I can't find him!"_

The rest of the reapers were also shocked. None of them could sense his presence, his reitsu had completely vanished.

"What's this?! How can he erase his spiritual pressure so well?!" exclaimed Ukitake. "Shunsui, can you find him?" he asked.

"Nope, I can't even trace his spirit energy" came the reply.

"It's not just his reitsu, his entire presence seems to have vanished" said Kira.

"He'll be a great addition to the stealth force" added Renji.

Suddenly, Soi-Fon seemed to strike thin air, but then the spot later revealed to be the same spot where Phantom re appeared, shocked.

"That was most impressive, to say the least. I knew it, you'd be a great addition to the stealth force. But your killing intent gave you away. And besides," she said, delivering multiple punches and kicks, sending him flying. "Even if you're fast, you're still lacking in physical strength, getting hit by you wouldn't amount to much, so unless you can take down your opponent in a single strike, that speed is wasted. Keep that in mind. I'll be seeing you soon in the stealth force" she added, turning to leave.

"Urgh…" Phantom swayed, recovering from the hit, slowly got up and moved towards the back.

"Are you alright?" asked Ciel.

"Yes Dr, I'll be fine" he replied.

"You did pretty well against that fat guy" remarked Zero.

"Heh what do you expect? That guy was just begging me to hit him". Zero chuckled.

"You should rest up" suggested X.

"No need, this much damage is nothing" he breathed. "I just need a couple of minutes"

"Suit yourself then" said Leviathan.

"Remarkable! A good contest indeed!" boomed the Head Captain. "He'll be a fine addition to the Stealth Force as Captain Soi-Fon rightly said"

"I'll go next then" remarked Tetsuzaimon.

"Then, this time, I'll go" said Fefnir.

As both fighters faced each other, fefnir noticed that Tetsuzaimon's Zanpakuto was already unsealed, it was a large bladed scimitar, with a pick lick protrusion a short distance from the other end. Fefnir however, did an unexpected thing. He simply threw his Zanpakuto away, and readied his fists.

"He's not gonna use his Zanpakuto?"

"He probably is not well versed with using a sword, looks more like a brute strength fighter"

" **Shakkahou**!" cried Fefnir, but rather than shooting the Red Flame Cannon, he simply used it to coat his arms with the spirit energy. Again, the reapers were wondering how someone could modify a kido spell to one's own form. But then again, Renji had once demonstrated using the same spell as a lantern, so probably this was okay with them too.

"Well, whatcha waiting for?" said Fenfir.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" shouted Iba, flash stepping towards Fefnir. He couldn't react to the speed, and hence could only barely avoid it, but not without getting a cut across his arms. Fefnir retaliated by rushing forwards and aiming a punch towards Iba, who dodged it and threw a side slash as a counter. Fefnir punched the ground, creating a smokescreen, immobilizing Iba for an instant. That was all fefnir needed to retaliate, throwing a flurry of powerful punches, all of which hit their mark. A slightly burnt Iba also countered with a kido spell of his own. " **Bakudo 4, Hainawa!** ". A reishi rope extruded from his hands, binding Fefnir where he stood. Then he pulled it with all his might, and delivered a punch right at his gut, which caused Fefnir to cough out violently. He wasn't done. He then used the rope again to swing and crash him to the ground. Except, he didn't notice that Fefnir had his kido ready in his hands, and as he was being thrown around, he used the momentum to punch the ground as he landed. A huge pillar of red flame engulfed Iba, who was not expecting the counter. He received the full brunt of the attack, and when the flames died down, he was seen kneeling, using his Zanpakuto as a support. Fefnir too, was not completely ok, as he too, was wounded pretty badly from the previous throw attack.

"That will be enough, we've seen what you can do, there's no need to injure yourselves further" commanded the Head Captain. Both the fighters picked themselves from the dirt.

"You're pretty good, I haven't had this much fun in a while…..we should fight again sometime!" said Iba.

"You're pretty strong yourself, and I enjoyed this bout as much as ya did! Let's fight again" he replied. Both of them bumped fists and went back to their places.

"I'm next!" chimed Leviathan, and practically skipped to face her opponent.

"Seeing as how we've run out of people who're below captain class that you're not familiar with, I guess I'll step in" said Rukia. "I'm aware that you've fought me before, but I haven't shown my full abilities back then, so it'll be okay. And besides, Dr Wily was suppressing my power during that battle, so I wasn't able to use my full strength there either. So, let's go!"

"Teehee, I'm glad we get to fight again, don't make it too boring now!" she said cheerfully, obviously not hiding her eagerness to fight.

"It's only right then that I don't hold back, given that you're so eager to have a good fight" said Rukia.

" **Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!** " Her Zanpakuto instantly transformed to the beautiful snow white katana they'd seen before. "I hope you're ready!" she declared, readying her stance.

"As ready as I can ever be!" she replied, charging forwards, thrusting her Zanpakuto like a spear. Having already seen her fight, she was able to somehow avoid the attack, and retaliated with Tsukishiro. A huge column of light enveloped her, and the ground started to freeze. Acting quickly, she jumped out of the way, and retaliated with a kido spell. " **Hado 70, Tsurara Shōgeki!** " causing a barrage of icicles to hurl forwards in incredible speeds. "That won't work this time!" she declared.

" **Hado 33, Sokatsui!** " she chanted, blasting away the incoming icicles.

"You're kido may be a high level one, but without experience, it can still be weak. It won't take much effort to deal with" she stated.

"I know, but I didn't fire that in hopes of causing damage" said Leviathan, closing in on Rukia. She swung her sword vertically, and Rukia quickly parried it, surprised.

"Not bad!"

The two continued exchanging a few blows, and Rukia was clearly having the upper hand.

"Hrrrmm…..I'm not used to using a sword…." She mentioned in a small voice, struggling to keep up with each passing second.

In the middle of one of the blows, Rukia suddenly released another tsukishiro, breaking Leviathan's pattern. She quickly backstepped to avoid damage, but was only partially successful, as her leg got caught in the attack. When the pillar cracked, Leviathan could finally move, but started limping, due to her injured leg.

"You were pretty good….if you train for a little longer, I'm sure your power would be amazing!" remarked Rukia, taking her leave and sheathing her Zanpakuto. "Let's get along well" she smiled.

"Yeah, let's fight again some time!" replied Leviathan in kind, limping back towards her comrades.

"I'm next huh?" said Zero, casually, walking to his battle.

 **I would like to split the fight sequences here, since I've got something special for Zero, X and Ciel. So I would like to have their fights separately in a different chapter. I'm not all that good with describing fight scenes, hope it was alright. Expect another chapter in 2 weeks' time. Thanks once again for all your favorites, follows and reviews. I can tell you that the fights of all three will be against captains. See ya later!**


	11. Chapter 11: Those who are torn apart

**Ok guys, as promised, here's the new chapter. There are a few things that might seem puzzling in the last chapter, which'll be clear in this chapter. I'm not really good with describing fight scenes, but I'll do my best to do the remaining characters justice.**

 **Chapter 11:- Those who are torn apart**

"I'm next huh…." Remarked Zero, as he casually walked into the field, twirling his Zanpakuto in his hands.

There was a small noise in the background, which caught the attention of the Ciel and the others. Harpuia was having an argument with a member of squad 4, apparently because he won't go back to the infirmary.

"I told you, I'm alright! Let it go, Woman!" he yelled, struggling to get past.

"I'm sorry, but please return to your room, we have orders from Captain…"

"My injuries are barely anything, something of that caliber is barely enough to stop me! I can stand up just fine!" he shouted back again.

"Hrmm…..fine, if you say so…..don't complain later on if you're unable to stand your ground…." Said the female reaper reluctantly, before leaving. Harpuia then came and joined up with the others.

"Harpuia, are you going to be ok?" asked X.

"Yeah, this kind of injury is nothing….and besides, can't miss this interesting match"

The attention of the 6 was again on Zero.

"I will be your opponent" came a stoic voice. The captain of the 6th division, Byakuya Kuchiki, remarked with a monotonous tone "I hope you're not all talk, boy"

"Heh, I'll make you eat your words, 'captain' " smirked Zero, readying his Zanpakuto.

"Let's see how long you can keep that arrogance!" declared Byakuya, rushing forwards and aiming for Zero's torso.

" **Bakudo #4, Hainawa!** " a shining, yellow rope extended from Zero's hands, encircling Byakuya's Zanpauto. With a mighty tug, he ripped his Zanpakuto from his hands. The Zanpakuto flew, spinning in the air for a few seconds before landing few feet away. Byakuya watched with a shocked expression, for a mere regular soul reaper managed to disarm him of his Zanpakuto. Obviously, he hadn't anticipated a mere soul reaper to use kido so effectively.

"Ooooh so cool!" cooed a female voice in the audience.

"Wow, did you see that?! His use of kido was so natural, as if he'd been fighting that way for a long time!" said another voice.

"Hmph, don't get too cocky now, boy!" glared Byakuya, "It seems I don't need to hold back then!". Disappearing in a flash step, he appeared next to his sword, and armed himself again. Again, he disappeared with flash step, and appeared right next to him. Aiming at his legs, he struck with blinding speed. Zero, was far from being caught off guard, performed a leaping upward slash, parrying Byakuya's Zanpakuto.

" **Ryuenjin** " he said. And whilst being in mid air, he bought down his Zanpakuto in a falling downward thrust, impaling the ground. Byakuya stepped back to avoid the attack. " **Hyouretsuzan** "

"Hmph" came a grunt from Byakuya, after which he aimed his palm at Zero.

" **Hado #33, Sokatsui!** " An enormous torrent of blue energy waves shot through the area where Zero was standing, and continued on in its path, destroying everything it hit. As the dust was clearing, Byakuya's eyes scanned for Zero. As the smoke finally cleared, everyone could see a slightly burnt Zero, still standing Zero. He wasn't damaged too bad, but didn't get out unscathed either. Byakuya raised his eyes.

"How did he avoid such an attack?!" remarked Leviathan.

"He's been using techniques I've never seen before too." Added Harpuia.

"It's been so long since I've seen Zero fight like that" remarked X.

"Really? You're familiar with those techniques?" inquired Ciel.

"Yeah, he used to fight like that back when he was still amongst the Maverick Hunters" answered X. "It does bring back a few memories"

"Damn, he was already strong when we fought him, so you're tellin' me he'd been saving up on some moves?" inquired Fefnir.

"It's probably due to the fact that he had hibernation sickness that he had no memory of those moves, now that he's regained them, I'd say he's a lot stronger" commented Phantom. Harpuia just clenched his fists.

" _Zero….just how much stronger will you keep becoming…"_

"Impressive….I didn't expect you to be able to intercept my attack" remarked Byakuya.

"Heh….well, I've been in so many battles, I've seen and been on the receiving end of so many such dangerous attacks, makes sense that I would know how to deal with them." Breathed Zero. "I guess now, it's my turn!"

Rushing forwards, he executed a twirling slash, aiming at Byakuya's feet. The stoic captain dodged by jumping over, while Zero spun around, recovering his stance.

" **Shippuuga** "

"I'm not done yet! **Hyouryuushou**!" Grasping the arch of his feet, he performed a spiraling upward slash, meeting Byakuya's blade in midair. Not letting that stop his advance, he spun horizontally, swinging his blade in a circular motion like a wheel. Multiple clashes from the two Zanpakuto could be heard, as each hit was being parried by the 6th division captain. The two then jumped away from each other, stopping for an instant.

In the distance, Kenpachi Zaraki was not pleased. He'd been waiting for some action, only for it to be taken off of him by that arrogant prick of a captain! Initially, Kenpachi was immediately about to step forwards, before he was stopped by Byakuya who insisted that he be allowed to battle Zero. Both continued to dismiss the other, until it was finally decided to settle it with a game of Rock Paper Scissors. Of course he had to let Yachiru play for him, and knowing her bad luck with such things, needless to say, he lost.

"Don't worry, Kenny, you'll fight the next guy, I'm sure he's going to be as strong as blondie here!" chirped Yachiru, perched atop of Zaraki's shoulders.

"Ya always say that, and your insights never come true" grunted Zaraki back.

"Weelll, you could always fight blondie later on if you wanted!" she replied back.

"Yeah…some nice moves he's got, and he's not using his fancy kido and relies mostly on his sword…..I like that!" he said.

Back in the fight, both fighters gazed at each other for a moment, analyzing the next possible move from the other. Zero, on one hand learnt Byakuya was both skilled in swordplay and kido, and could switch from one to the other in a split second. One mistake could cost him big. Zero gripped his sword and grinned. He'd never been this excited for a fight except when he fought the 4 guardians or copy X, and he knew he'd have to give it his all if he wanted any chance to win. But then again, the captain hadn't even released his Zanpakuto, and was still keeping him at bay. Byakuya, on the other hand, had quite underestimated his opponent. Sure he wasn't using his senbozakura, but it was taking him all his efforts to just keep him at bay. Even Ichigo Kurosaki, stood no chance against him without using his Zangetsu. Now **that** stirred up a mix of emotions. His shattered pride of having lost against a boy decades younger than him, and the satisfaction of having lost, thanks to which he was stopped from executing his younger sister without breaking either of his promises to Hisana and his parents.

"I would love to fight a little longer, but the others are still remaining, so, lets end it with one last attack" stated Zero.

"Fine by me" came the reply.

Both fighters got ready. There was a silent wind blowing across the field. In an instant, both disappeared in a flash step. There was a clash of two swords striking each other, and the two stood behind the other. Zero, had carried out a thrusting technique, and Byakuya a battou jutsu(sword draw). A gash appeared across Byakuya's arm, while Zero's torso had a diagonal slash. The wound wasn't deep, but it did bring him down for the time being.

"So much for making me eat my words, boy. It's a hundred years too early for you to take me on. However, I should praise you for pushing me to fight as I have, especially without even releasing your Zanpakuto" he remarked, before turning back and leaving.

"Grr….I'll get you one day!" breathed Zero, gritting his teeth. He slowly got up, using his Zanpakuto for his support. Normally, as a reploid, such an injury would barely stall him for a second, but in this human body, it was taking its toll. Slowly, he made his way towards the others.

"Zero! Are you alright?!" cried a frantic Ciel, going forward to support Zero.

"Yeah, I've seen better days, though I won't be able to fight for a while" he replied.

"You should go get your wounds treated" she said firmly.

"Nah, I'll just get some first aid, can't miss the remaining two matches!" he grinned.

"But that was very impressive Zero, I never thought you'd be so powerful" remarked Harpuia.

"I know right? We should spar sometimes!" added Fefnir.

"Seeing you fight really does get me excited!" chimed Leviathan.

"Well then, I'm next huh?" said X.

"Finally, I get to fight!" roared Kenpachi, leaping into the field.

"I hope you make this worth my time!" he declared, drawing his Zanpakuto.

X gulped, deducing that this was an opponent who relied on brute strength alone. It wouldn't have been much of a problem if that were the only case, but this man had monstrous power. Somehow, combined with his battle senses and reiatsu affinity, he could sense it.

"Alright then, here I come!" declared Kenpachi, raising his sword, aiming for X's head. X jumped out of the way, but still hadn't drawn his sword.

"Huh? What's this? You're not gonna use your sword?" asked Kenpachi.

"I'm not used to fighting with a sword, and most of my fighting style has been based on using energy projectiles" replied X.

"So you're one of those perks that use kido" remarked kenpachi, somewhat disappointed. "Tch, this is such a pain, true battle is about using your own power instead of relying on cheap parlor tricks. That Zero guy would've been much more fun…..Oh well, I guess I can't really complain, as long as you can keep me entertained."

Raising his palms, X shot multiple, blue reiatsu blasts shot towards kenpachi, all hitting him squarely in the face.

" _He took all of them head-on?!"_

When the dust cleared, emerged Kenpachi, unscathed.

"Is that it? Let ME show you how a real fight is fought!" Kenpachi dashed forwards, slicing horizontally, which was blocked by X as he drew his sword.

"Hehe, so you CAN use a sword! Come at me then!"

Gritting his teeth, X rushed forwards, slashing and cutting randomly. The captain of squad 11 exerted absolutely no effort, merely swatting away all strikes with his bare hands. X gasped, wondering how the captain was blocking all of his hits with just his bare hands, and that too without even getting cut.

"It's simple really" said the captain, as if reading X's thoughts. "A battle between soul reapers is a battle of their spiritual pressures. I can easily block your attacks with my own spiritual pressure"

"Heh is that so? Then, try this on for size!" said X, stepping back, and taking a stance again. " **Hado #58, Tenran!** "

A massive tornado charged through the squad 11 captain, sending him flying, tearing at him in all directions. The blast was so massive and powerful, the winds raged throughout the battlefield.

"What was that?! He used such a powerful kido without an incantation?! That's impossible!" remarked Ukitake.

"And you're tellin' me that this is their first day since awakening their powers?!" added Kyoraku.

"But like that thick headed captain of squad 11 mentioned, it seems he's quite incompetent when it comes to using a Zanpakuto" said Kurotsuchi in his usual high pitched voice.

"But he seems to more than make up for it with his affinity with kido. I've never seen anyone use kido so efficiently after just knowing about it a day before. It seems this kind of fighting style comes naturally to him. Quite the opposite of Zero if I have to say" said Unohana.

Back in the battle, X was panting heavily. Obviously using kido had taken a toll on him. Seeing as how it uses up one's reiatsu for casting it, it cost him quite a bit of it having only awakened his powers. He would need to increase his duration of using kido continuously, he noted in the back of his mind. A sudden explosion in the background where Kenpachi had landed told him all that he needed to know. Leaving a trail of dust behind, Kenpachi leapt out of the rubble and landed right in front of him, tattered and bruised but not halting his advance by much.

"Good, good! You've actually managed to wound me! It seems you weren't all talk after all! But I'm guessing you can't use that fancy kido of yours for quite a while now! Come on, just use your sword already!" said Kenpachi, all the while laughing maniacally.

" _Damn, what a monster! I put my all in that attack and still he brushed it off like nothing happened…guess I have no choice…"_

Drawing his sword, he swung it aiming at his wrists, looking to disarm him of his sword, but as expected, it had no effect. Like before, he tried to swat it away with his hands, but this time, it did leave a slight burn mark where he'd blocked it. Looking closer, he saw that X's sword was glowing a slight blue, not bright enough to be noticed when looking from afar.

"Now what's that?" he asked.

"It's true that I can't use kido for a while, but I CAN channel a little of my spirit energy to make my sword like a spirit weapon. Kinda reminds me of the Z sabre" he answered.

"Is that so? This is great! You're learning as we battle!" shouted Kenpachi, parrying another incoming swing from X's sword. "But be as it is, your spirit energy is still nowhere close to mine, so I can even do this" he said, swinging his sword with a bit more force, which shattered X's Zanpakuto "with no effort at all"

X watched with a shocked expression, as his Zanpakuto pieces fell slowly to the ground, leaving him with a hilt and a broken stub.

"I had fun, kid. Fight me some other time after you've improved your skill"

X slowly sheathed his broken sword and returned to where everyone was.

"That was rough, huh…Well, he was a captain, so I guess it couldn't be avoided"1 asked his best friend, trying his best to cheer him up.

"It's good that you weren't injured" added Ciel with a satisfied look.

"But if we can get to become as strong as them by being here, then I have no complaints" said Leviathan.

"Yes, they all seem very formidable, and like us have been protecting the humans since centuries" agreed Harpuia.

"But are you gonna be ok? That dude did break your sword" asked Fefnir.

"Well, I suppose I could ask the captains or Mr Urahara to see if I can get another one"

"So, It's finally my turn huh…" said Ciel.

"Wow…I'm still not able to get over the fact that you're able to fight like us" said Zero.

"Yeah….when you came charging in during our last battle, I could barely believe myself…..you used to be so worried all the time, but still did your best to support us whenever needed….I always wondered if you felt guilty for being helpless and if you thought that you weren't able to help me or Zero" added X.

"Yeah….a lot of things had happened after Zero died in the battle with Weil, and I decided that I would become stronger for the sacrifices that everyone had made. I am truly happy that I got the chance to walk side by side everyone and be with everyone in all of your important battles. I don't enjoy fighting, but if it means that I can get stronger, then I shall give it my all" said Ciel.

Meanwhile, the captains were debating who should be sent to test Ciel. There were conflicting opinions, as a few felt she would be as strong as Zero or X, while others felt that she was a meek person who hated fighting and would be the last person to even think about entering a fight.

"Hrmm, Alright I'll go" stated Toshiro. "I know they've already seen me fight, but the same reason that applied to Kuchiki applies to me as well. And as much as I don't like to say it, I got incapacitated pretty quickly, so I didn't have much of a chance to fight, nor to properly observe Ms Ciel fight when she got to help us"

"Ok, if you say so Captain Hitsugaya, but please do try to go a little easy on her" requested Captain Ukitake.

"Yup, wouldn't want to harm such a pretty little face" said Kyoraku with a dreamy smile. Toshiro just glared in his direction.

As Ciel faced Captain Hitsugaya, she said "Captain Hitsugaya, I'll say this now itself. I don't really like to fight, but if it helps me to protect those who I care about, I shall do whatever it takes. So if you don't mind, I'll be going all out from the get go"

"Fine by me. I prefer to finish things without dragging it out" replied the white haired captain.

"Alright then, here goes!"

" **Become one with all and return to nothingness, Tenren!** " The soul reapers gasped as they watched Ciel's shihakushou turn into a blue coat of sorts, with a head gear covering her head, and her Zanpakuto turned into a long sword with a purple, reishi blade, a confident smirk in Ciel's face. It was as if she became a different person altogether.

"A sword release?! She's already awakened her Zanpakuto?!" gasped Ukiktake.

"It would seem as if she's been here far longer than those other 5. Very interesting…" remarked Kurotsuchi.

"It does remind me somewhat of Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai release, wherein his shihakushou changes with his Bankai release" added Byakuya.

" **Bakudo #30, Shitosusansen!** " she cried, and three triangular reishi seals flew towards the captain, and he jumped out of the way to avoid being immobilized.

"Now I really can't listen to what Ukitake told me" said Toshiro, raising his sword.

" **Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyōrinmaru!** " Hyōrinmaru extended slightly in length, and gained a crescent-shaped blade attached to its hilt by a long metal chain. He slashed with his Zanpakuto and created an ice dragon, which slithered towards Ciel. Surprisingly, she didn't even move an inch, but rather looked as if she was expecting it to make it towards her. As it got within inches from her, the entire ice dragon seemed to be draw in towards her Zanpakuto, and it disappeared, leaving Toshiro utterly shocked.

"That was a really bad move, captain, my Zanpakuto can absorb any reishi based attacks and it converts it to my own. So you're simply providing me with more power" said Ciel, with a highly confident sounding voice very, very different from her usual meek self. "Let me demonstrate"

She swung her sword in retaliation, and the ice dragon reappeared, except that it had a pink tinge its reiatsu was much stronger. Toshiro sent another ice dragon in its way, and the two clashed in midair, raining bits of snow and ice over the entire area.

Toshiro, not wasting a second, closed in the distance and then initiated a close combat situation, raining slashed on her. She, dodged most and parried some, but the exchange was enough to tell him that she lacked in physical strength and could also not keep up with his speed. Not to mention, she had yet to master…

*fwip*

Ciel had disappeared and something seemed to move behind him. Swiftly turning to face his back, he saw Ciel, raising her palms and uttering something.

" **Bakudo #62, Hyapporankan!** " and multiple rod like projectiles of reishi struck him at his torso, arms and his left leg.

"Nrgh! So you can use flash step as well…" he grunted, as he removed the seals that struck him.

"I thought you agreed not to go easy on me, Captain. Come at me with everything you got!" she cried, pointing her sword.

"Very well then. You've proven yourself worthy enough. Forgive me for going easy on you. Now that I know you can handle yourself, I'll give it my best shot"

" **Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!** " Hitsugaya now had what seemed to be a pair of wings and a tail made of ice, and the ice gave a claw like shape to his left hand and a dragon head shape to his right, with his sword hilt now having an 8 pointed star. Behind him, three 4 petal flowers were hovering in the air.

" **Hyōryū Senbi"** he cried, and a huge crescent shaped ice wave flowed outwards, enveloping Ciel's Zanpakuto in ice.

"!" She looked on stunned, as she couldn't react in time to absorb the entirety of the attack.

"Even if your Zanpakuto can absorb reishi, it still has a limit. And seeing as to how you've just awakened your powers a few days, or maximum a few weeks ago. I figure you need a lot of time to absorb a huge amount. So, if I attacked fast enough, I can create an opening for a few seconds, which in a battle, is the difference between life and death."

" **Bakudo #63, Rikujokoro!** " Six, rectangular reishi bars clamped on her, completely immobilizing her in her place.

"And with this, I've sealed your movements as well. You can't use kido too now."

Ciel clenched her sword and thought of ways to retaliate, and finally, loosened up and released the hold on her sword, along with reverting her shikai. Captain hitsugaya too did the same.

"You did well, Ms Ciel" he said.

"Thank you Captain Hitsugaya" she replied, in her usual meek voice.

"Where did that confident tone of yours go all of a sudden?" he asked, curious.

"Well, um, the thing is, my very form and being changes when I release my shikai, kinda like another side of 'me'. It's because of the nature of my Zanpakuto. So that's what happened" she explained.

"Huh?" wondered Hitsugaya, with a confused look on his face, before returning to the other captains.

"Captain Hitsugaya, thanks for not being too rough on her, although, I must say, it was very impressive to say the least. She could go head to head with you in your shikai state, and also seems to be pretty good at using kido" said Ukitake.

"Her movements weren't bad either" added Soi-Fon.

"She's already at the level of a seated officer, if not a lieutenant class" said Captain Komamura.

"Yeah, I'm sure if she had more time to improve her abilities, she would definitely make an excellent soul reaper. Her intelligence is really high too" said Toshiro.

"Well in any case, let's hear what the head captain has to say" said Captain Unohana.

Once the noise from the battles died down, Captain Yamamoto stepped forwards, tapping his cane.

"The skills shown here by these 7 soul reapers has been formidable to say the least. Kisuke Urahara wasn't exaggerating when he said the things that he did. They will be much useful in the coming battles and also the new threat that is Dr Weil. There will be another Captains meeting tomorrow to discuss the positions and squads that these 7 reapers will be present in. Until then, they are to await orders. That is all" boomed his voice, and with this, all the soul reapers dispersed. Ciel headed back to the others.

"Woah Ciel, I didn't know you were this strong!" commented Zero.

"Yes, at this point, you're much better than any of us" said X.

"Well, I'm sure we all have a lot to discuss, let's talk about it on the way back" said Harpuia. They all nodded and started walking towards their current place of stay.

"Speaking of which, how were the 5 of you late for such an important event?!" asked Leviathan.

"Well….um….we kinda overslept" replied Zero in a small voice.

"What?! Really?! You too?!" squealed Leviathan. The others looked down embarrassed.

"Wait, if you did too, how the hell were you early?" asked Fefnir.

"Well, Ciel woke me up" she replied.

"It was quite difficult to get her up, she wouldn't budge at all" the blonde haired scientist added.

"I'm guessing it's because you guys still need a little time to get used to a human's body. It's not like you needed to sleep as a reploid, so your minds are yet to catch up to your bodies"

"Yeah…Toshiro DID kick the hell out of us to get us up too…."said X.

"Oh well, if Ciel says so, we'll be fine" replied Zero, casually.

 **A/N : That's it for this chapter, and once again, thanks for reading, reviewing and your favorites and follows! Hope this chapter was up to your expectations and was at least fairly decent, since I've already mentioned that I suck at explaining fight scenes. The next week will focus on Megaman and Grimmjow's attack on Karakura town, and will be posted next week. Once again, if you feel anything was lacking, do let me know! Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12: The attack on Karakura Town

**Hey guys, as promised, here's the next chapter, a bit late because of my piling workload, which I needed time to clear. Anyways, I've been thinking about the word length and the update frequency of this story, and would like to hear your opinion on this. If I go with the 1** **st** **option, chapters will be shorter, about 1500-2000 words each, but updated within 4-7 days. The next option I continue maintaining the length at about 3000-4500 words each, but I'll take much longer to update, say about 2-3 weeks. Do let me know in the comments or in a PM. As I said last chapter, there'll be little focus on the soul society, more on Karakura town and the attack by Grimmjow and Megaman in this chapter.**

 **Chapter 12:- The attack on Karakura Town**

Megaman and Grimmjow sped past a few houses as they were making their way to their designated points. In the whole while, Megaman said nothing, occasionally turning to see if he was going the right way, and Grimmjow just kept glaring at him all the while.

"Grrr….cocky little upstart, if he wasn't so….." gritted Grimmjow, when Megaman truned around to face him. Grimmjow flinched.

"It seems we've arrived. Kisuke Urahara's base should be just up ahead. You should go" Said Megaman.

"You don't need to tell me twice, brat!" snapped Grimmjow, speeding off in the said direction.

"Hmph….with him gone, now, I can get on with my business"

"Ichigo Kurosaki's place should be right there" he said to himself. "This should bring him out".

 **-Kurosaki Clinic-**

Kurosaki Ichigo was lying in bed, feeling quite dull. He couldn't tell what it was, but there was something missing that made him feel the way he felt right now. When Rukia was still there, hiding in his closet, things were more…lively. His perverted old man would come every once in a while and try something stupid, and even his sisters used to be more talkative in her presence too. Perhaps that's what he felt so bad about.

"Nah" he said to himself in self denial.

Then suddenly, a spiritual pressure wave hit him so hard, he was almost thrown out of bed. He couldn't even breathe properly, being in his physical body.

"Wha….!" Exclaimed Ichigo, shocked.

With his hands shaking from the pressure, he somehow reached his hands into his pockets where his combat pass lied, and quickly pressed it against his chest. Wasting no time, he grabbed his sword and leapt out of his window, following the source of that titanic spiritual pressure.

 **-Kisuke Urahara's Base-**

Urahara sat along with Uryu, Chad, Orihime, Yoruichi, Jinta, Tessai, Ururu, Dr Light along with the carrot top soul reaper's close friends, namely Mizuiro, Keigo and Tatsuki.

"Would you mind explaining why this weird old man has bought the three of us here, Orihime?" questioned Tatsuki.

"Heeey~~That's pretty rude of you Arisawa-san! I'm not that old!" cooed the shop owner, in his sing song voice.

" _Yeah right…"_ smirked Yoruichi inwardly, noting that he was infact hundreds of years old.

"Don't ask me, I was called the same, just as you were" replied the orange-haired girl.

"I'm sorry to call all of you on such short notice, but the situation was dire, and there was no other way we could've protected you from what's to come" he explained. "All you need to know is that there is an attack imminent on you guys, and this was the only way I could minimize the damage and also protect all of you at the same time. It would've been difficult if 'they' choose to split off and attack everyone at the same time"

"An attack?! By whom! Is it the arran.." started Uryu, before Urahara interrupted.

"Like I said, we don't have much time left, so I'll fill you guys in after 'they' have been dealt with" looking towards Uryu, Orihime and Chad mainly.

"What are you guys talking about….bringing us here all of a sudden, and you guys seem to have something hidden from us as well! If the three of them are there, where's Ichigo?! Why shouldn't he be here as well?!" snarled Tatsuki.

"Ichigo can handle himself, for now, please just stay put here. I promise after this is all over, I'll explain it all myself" said Urahara. The black haired girl remained quiet after that.

Following this, a huge spiritual pressure hit them as if a wave swept over them.

"!"

"What is that spiritual pressure?!" questioned Uryu, with a bewildered look on his face.

"It's so strong! But it's coming from somewhere else" said Yoruichi, looking in that direction.

"If I'm not wrong, that's in the direction of Kurosaki-san's house…" said Urahara slowly, with a serious look on his face.

"It doesn't appear to be the presence of Zero or X or any of the others in their company" noted Dr Light.

"How do you know that?" asked Chad.

"I was partly responsible for bringing them back after all, I know how their spiritual pressure feels" replied the old doctor.

"But whoever it is, the reiatsu doesn't feel evil, it is really strong, but it holds no malice…strange" remarked Urahara. "In any case, HE should be there as well, so there's no need to worry"

"HE?" asked Orihime. "You mean Ichigo?" Urahara didn't answer, for his attention was focused on the new spiritual pressure that appeared right next to their place.

"Its started"

The whole gang, save for Dr Light, Ururu, Jinta and Tessai, (and also obviously Tatsuki and gang, since the whole conversation was lost on them) rushed outside to meet the Blue Jaguar Warrior that was hovering in the air above them.

"Heh, so this is that 'Urahara'?! I can't believe that senile old fool got beaten by the likes of them" smirked Grimmjow.

"This reiatsu…..I see, he's an arrancar" said Uryu.

"Ya got that right, four eyes! I'm Grimmjow Jaggerjaquez, an arrancar! I'm also an Esparda, the top 10 arrancars of Aizen's forces! My number is 6!"

"The 6th? Oh boy…this could be a pain" sighed Urahara.

"Orihime, You, Chad and Uryu get inside….this could get messy" said Yoruichi.

"Right!" nodded Orihime, rushing to the entrance.

"Normally I wouldn't run away from an enemy, but I have to admit, this guy's too much for us, so we'd only get in your way. Be careful, Mr Urahara" said Uryu, following Orihime. Chad just nodded in the affirmative and followed them.

"So you've finally made up your mind?"

"Yeah…..sorry to keep you waiting Mr Esparda" said Urahara, drawing his sword. " I hope you make it worth my time drawing my sword"

"Ha! I promise, by the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you hadn't sent those three back! Not that it would've helped anyways! But enough talk, let's go!"

Grimmjow disappeared following a buzz sound, and appeared next to Yoruichi, and delivered a kick aimed at her left side. Yoruichi ducked, and aimed a high kick at the esparda's chin, which he blocked with his only arm. It was only then the two noticed that he was missing an arm. Taking chance, Urahara swung his Zanpakuto at his right side, where his arm was missing. Grimmjow was inches away from being sliced, but the blue haired esparda avoided the attack by disappearing with another sonido. He made some distance from the ex captain duo, and extended his arm. A red energy began forming a small sphere, which was growing larger and larger, until it was the size of a small dinner plate.

"Heh, dodge this! Cero!" The cero blasted away from his hands, rushing towards the two. Yoruichi jumped away with flash step, and Urahara knew that if he chose to avoid it as well, the people behind him would get hurt.

"Oh well, let's see how this goes" he muttered to himself.

The cero exploded, leaving a huge dust cloud in the place where Urahara was just a moment ago. Yoruichi knew that such an attack would hardly be anything for her childhood friend, but that didn't stop her from worrying. Also because she didn't see her friend retaliate against the attack. A direct attack could've been nasty.

"What?! He didn't avoid it?! What a fool!" Grimmjow wasn't even at half strength and he couldn't believe that someone who sent back that senile old fool could die from something like that, given also that he hadn't even released his Zanpakuto.

When the dust cloud cleared, the eccentric soul reaper was nowhere to be found.

"Kisuke!" shouted Yoruichi, clearly concerned, and also surprised.

"Yoohoo~~~~Looking for me, Mr esparda~~~?" sang a voice from behind Grimmjow. The blue haired esparda violently turned around to see Urahara cheerfully waving at him.

"Why you….how did you avoid the Cero?!" growled Grimmjow.

"Simple really, like this" said Urahara, showing a small black ball.

"That's….!" Grimmjow remembered about the portable Gigai from the vision that Ulquiorra showed back at Los Noches during the meeting of all esparda.

"Damn you!"

"I knew that if I moved away, the others would get hurt, and that if I tried to counter attack, or block it, it might spread out and end up causing damage to my surroundings, hence I used this portable gigai to take the damage in my place instead" explained Urahara.

" _Grrr…..curse him! He's toying around with me! But it doesn't seem to have realized that I'm just here as a decoy, and that the other creep is the 'main event'. As long as I can hold him off long enough for that bastard to finish up, I should be fine"_

"Hey, if you're done gawking at him like an idiot, I'll ask you to get ready!" declared Yoruichi, dashing forwards. The flash goddess appeared right in front of him and punched him in the gut. The Esparda coughed violently and doubled over, struggling to catch his breath.

"Damn! If only I had my other arm!" he cursed.

"Now, tell me what you're really up to. I know you haven't been trying too hard otherwise Aizen wouldn't be mad to send just you over to our place, knowing who lived here." Asked Yoruichi, and then an instant later, she gasped, realizing everything.

"You're just a decoy aren't you? You were to keep us occupied, while the other guy went over to Ichigo's place to deal with him" said Yoruichi.

"Heh, clever girl, figuring it out so fast! But too bad, he's more than enough to have finished up there by now, that guy's a monster, Ichigo Kurosaki wouldn't have stood a chance against me, let along 'him'. This is our win"

"Oh I don't know about that, maybe you're right, but I wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating your enemy" said Urahara.

"Heh, it doesn't matter, I've finished my job here, so until next time, suckers!" said Grimmjow, firing a Cero blast at Urahara, and disappearing with a buzz sound. The Cero obviously missed, but it gave him the cover needed to get away.

"Damn, he ran away!" cursed Yoruichi.

"Calm down, he's probably going to join up with his comrade, and if what I sense is true, this should be no problem for 'him'." Assured Urahara.

"Alright, if you say so" said Yoruichi, going to the shop.

" *sigh* now we've got to explain this to Ichigo's friends, huh? Oh well, had to happen sometime anyways, might as well get it over with" said Urahara with a exasperated look, following Yoruichi into the shop.

 **-Some time earlier, Kurosaki residence-**

"Who are you?!" questioned the Orange haired soul reaper, gripping his Zanpakuto.

"The name's Megaman, and I've been sent by Dr Weil to eliminate you and your sisters, Ichigo Kurosaki" replied the ex-robot arrancar with a soft voice.

"WHAT?! YOU BETTER LEAVE MY SISTERS OUT OF THIS YOU JERK, IF YOU WANT TO FACE ME THEN COME AT ME!" roared Ichigo, pointing his Zanpakuto directly at his face.

"It's no use, soul reaper. At your level…" said Megaman, raising his spiritual pressure even higher, bringing the substitute soul reaper to his knees "You're hardly any threat to me"

"Guh…!"

Ichigo could tell, despite his clumsiness with reiatsu that this guy was more powerful than even Byakuya. He wouldn't stand a chance against him even with his bankai.

"Even so…..I can't allow you to hurt my family!" He put all his effort into getting up and extended his sword.

"BANKAI!" A torrent of maroon-black reishi spiraled where he stood, and when the reishi dissipated, stood Ichigo in his sleek Bankai form. "Tensa Zangetsu"

"Your bankai, huh?" said Megaman, unfazed by the raise in his spiritual pressure.

The blue bomber raised his hands and cream-colored energy began gathering at his palms and formed a small ball. "You'll soon learn that even your bankai is powerless to save you now" he smirked. " **Crash Bomber!** " he cried, and the cream colored ball shot forwards at Ichigo. The carrot top soul reaper used his bankai's speed to avoid direct contact. The crash bomb collided with the ground and looked as if it got stuck in it.

"Huh?"

A second later, multiple colossal explosions shock the ground, completely obliterating the area around it. The explosion distracted Ichigo for a second, in which Megaman extended both his arms towards Ichigo and shot an enormous bolt of electricity that spread three ways, one towards him and two above and below Megaman. " **Thunder Beam** ". Ichigo was caught off guard and received the full brunt of the attack. The bolt exploded on contact, leaving multiple burns on his body. Ichigo raised his sword with some effort, and slashed towards the blue bomber. **"Getsuga Tenshou!"** he cried. An enormous maroon-black reishi wave sliced the air and travelled towards Megaman. The arrancar made no effort to avoid it, and only extended his arm, as if to catch the attack. As the wave made contact, Megaman clenched his hands, and the attack dissipated.

"Wha….!" Gasped the substitute soul reaper, not expecting his best attack to be dealt with so easily.

" **Fire Storm!** " cried Megaman, and a huge ball of fire hit Ichigo in the face, exploding and disarming him of his Zanpakuto. Ichigo sustained massive injuries and was burnt and bled in many places. Unable to remain standing, fell face down on the ground.

Ichigo could barely keep his eyes open. Slowly lifting his head, he saw the blue bomber still standing, preparing to make another attack.

" _Damn it all…he's too….strong…..have to…..protect…"_

His mind started to get more and more blurry and darkness covered his eyesight. Finally, he gave in to the darkness that consumed the very last of his consciousness. Megaman was about to deliver another blow to finish him off, but a bone chilling cry from the downed soul reaper caught his attention. The soul reaper suddenly jumped, grabbing the fallen Zanpakuto, a white mask now forming in his face. His iris was completely yellow and his schlera were turned completely black. This 'creature' rushed at him with blinding speed and elbowed the blue bomber right in his face, sending his scurrying across multiple buildings. Not stopping, the creature that resembled a hollow went after the flying arrancar and sent two or three Getsuga Tenshou's after him. These were much stronger than the arrancar remembered and he had to dodge them to avoid getting to hurt. The next instant however, the 'hollow' or arrancar or whatever it was, appeared right next to him and grabbed him by his face, attempting to throw him. However, before the hollow could do that, Megaman snapped his fingers and everything around him came to a standstill.

" **Flash Stopper** ". Megaman stopped time for an instant and taking the opportunity, freed himself from the creature's grasp and also punched the half formed mask, cracking it. Following this, time started again and the creature's mask completely cracked, causing the soul reaper to completely lose consciousness and incapacitating him for good.

"Phew, that was a close one" remarked Megaman, panting. "Before that thing comes back again, I should finish him. I can't use flash stopper again for quite some time now" Megaman then sensed an approaching Reiatsu, one that belonged the 6th esparda. The said esparda arrived, beaten and tattered.

"Looks like they really did a number on you huh?" asked Megaman in an uninterested tone.

"Grrr….what are you still doing here?! I thought you'd be finished by now, you twerp!"

"Don't need to worry, I'm nearly done. Ichigo Kurosaki had an unseen power that took me off guard, but it was no problem. I'll kill him now" he said, going back to Ichigo and aiming his palm at Ichigo's downed body. A purple blob began forming at his hands.

" **Black hole bomb!** " cried Megaman, and a small, slow moving blob spewed forth and made its way to Ichigo. However, midway to its journey, it was struck by a blue projectile, which caused the blob to expand and create a miniature vacuum, sucking everything nearby in sight. Ichigo too would've been sucked in, if not for a black robed figure that carried him away and disappeared in a flash step. The figure reappeared somewhere far away and placed the body slowly, and disappeared again.

"What just happened?!" questioned Grimmjow. Megaman just glared.

The figure reappeared in front of the duo, causing them to take an offensive stance.

"I was really worried about letting my kid see me in this form, so I'm kinda glad that he's been knocked out, but don't even think for a second that I'll forgive you for hurting my son, kid" said the voice.

"And just who the hell are you?!" barked Grimmjow.

"Ah I forgot to introduce myself, the name's Isshin Kurosaki" said the voice, as the clouds departed and the moonlight revealed the face of Ichigo's father.

 **Hey guys, I know this chapter isn't nearly as long as my previous ones, but I wanted to split it up here, since I wanted Isshin vs Megaman to be on a separate chapter. As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to Fav/follow or leave reviews, it means a lot to me and also really helps me improve a lot and lately I feel that the chapters could be much better and I'm unable to find out where I could improve. So anyways, see ya next time, and that'll be a week or two, depending on whether I go with the reduced word length or leave it unchanged.**


	13. Chapter 13: Karin dies!

**Hey guys, I'm still not sure whether to go with short chapters or longer ones, so for now, I'll stick to the original style. This chapter will conclude the attack on karakura. Really sorry about not updating for so long, had exams, and now I'm done with them. Also, I realize I if I wanted to make a better plot, I'll need time to think and plan out a story, rather than writing to update faster. Hence the additional reason for the delay. Anyways, thanks for reading and don't forget to fav/follow/review. It really means a lot to me! Without further delay, here goes.**

 **Chapter 13:- Karin dies!**

"Ah I forgot to introduce myself, the name's Isshin Kurosaki" said the voice, as the clouds departed and the moonlight revealed the face of Ichigo's father.

"Kurosaki?!" spat Grimmjow. "I see….now it makes sense…no wonder that kid has soul reaper powers"

"I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to stop you both right here. My two cute little daughters are sleeping and I don't want us to wake them up" said Isshin, already drawing his sword.

"Hmph, father or not, you're not my target. Get out of my way old man, I'm only after Ichigo Kurosaki and his siblings" remarked the blue bomber.

"Tch, what part of 'I won't forgive you' didn't you get? You'll have to get through me first. And you can forget about Yuzu and Karin, for you won't be leaving this place alive for even thinking about harming a hair on those two" threatened the ex 10th division captain.

"Fine, then you'll die first!". There was a buzz and Megaman was gone.

" **Ice Slasher!** " A huge blade of ice shaped like an arrowhead shot out of nowhere when Megaman suddenly appeared right in front of Isshin. He didn't know what to expect and so out of reflex tried to deflect it with his Zanpakuto. The blade made a loud 'klank' noise and shattered the Icy blade.

"Hmph, you're wide open" came the voice from behind him.

" **Centaur Flash!** "

"Grgh!" the whole neighborhood was lit with Megaman's attack, blinding Isshin and also Grimmjow, who had been standing still all this time. Megaman hadn't failed to notice this and immediately went over to him, and screamed

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING LIKE AN IDIOT, WHILE I KEEP HIM BUSY, WHY DON'T YOU GO AND TAKE CARE OF THE KUROSAKI SISTERS?!"

"GRR, I DON'T NEED YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" blared Grimmjow, before speeding away in the direction of Kurosaki's house.

"Damn, YOU WONT BE GOING ANYWHERE NEAR THEM!" roared Isshin, as the flash finally dimmed and saw the blue arrancar rushing towards his house. Isshin flash stepped away from Megaman and intercepted Grimmjow, and delivered a kick right at his abdomen, sending him flying. Right then, multiple, needle like projectiles hurled themselves at the soul reaper. Using his Zanpakuto, he deflected them with the wind pressure and rendered them useless. A bright red glow then appeared from the other direction where he'd sent the arrancar flying.

" **Cero** " smirked Grimmjow. An enormous, red beam of energy shot out of his hands, flying towards him at an incredible speed. The beam met the soul reaper's Zanpakuto, where it struggled to push free. Gritting his teeth, Isshin gripped his sword with shaking hands, and finally with a great heave, redirected the blast towards the sky.

"Phew, that was a close one!" he remarked, breathing a sigh of relief. "Tch, they both are ganging up on me, it's pretty annoying"

"Then, mind if I lend you a hand?" asked a voice in the ground. Looking down, Isshin saw the face of his very old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Oh it's you, Kisuke" greeted Isshin. "I would stop by and ask how you were doung, but as you can see, I'm a bit tied up. It would be great if you could lend me a hand"

"It's good to see you in that attire again. I suppose the 'link' is broken then" said Kisuke.

"Yup, feels good to be back" grinned Isshin, straightening his shihakushou. "Ok then, I'll take on the runt, you get the other arrancar". Urahara responded with an affirmative nod and took off in the direction where Grimmjow stood.

"You really think it'll be that easy, old man?" taunted Megaman.

"Oh no, but I got to stop you, so it really doesn't matter what I think of you" he replied.

"Try this on for size then! **Gravity Hold!** " Isshin felt a tremendous pressure on his entire body, as if a colossal force pulled him down. As the 20G's of force rained down on him, it slammed him face down to the ground, and buried him a few feet below.

"GUHH!"

"I'm not done yet!" Megaman extended his arms. " **Atomic Fire!** " A small fireball began charging in his palms. "Now die!" The huge fireball sped towards the spot where Isshin was lying. The ball made contact and the entire area exploded with a brilliant light, setting any nearby bushes and objects alight, melting them or burning them to dust.

"Heh all that talk for nothing, and now he's been reduced to ashes" smirked Megaman.

"Oh I wouldn't be too sure of that, you shouldn't be so quick to drop your guard" came a voice from behind. The blue bomber violently turned to find Isshin standing behind him, his sword hand holding his Zanpakuto over his shoulders.

"Grrr…how?! You were crushed under 20G's of force and then blasted by fire as hot as the temperature of the sun!" snarled Megaman.

"That's true, I couldn't have gotten out of that gravity move of yours, but unfortunately for you, the effects of that move only lasted an instant. Plus you wasted time to charge your second attack as well. That was all the time I needed to get out of the way. You must be exhausted after using technique after technique, which explains why your second attack didn't have the effect you described as well. You're weak from all of your attacks till now. Each attack consumes a significant amount of reiatsu, and you've been pulling move after move ever since you came here" explained Isshin.

"Heh, is that what you think? Be as it may be, I still can do this" said Megaman, taking out a small glowing blue orb like object, that looked like a capsule of sorts and swallowed it. Isshin could then sense the kid's reiatsu rising again, all of it being recovered. "Hmph" smirked Megaman.

"Tch, this is going to be one pain in the ass to deal with" said Isshin with a smug expression.

 **Meanwhile-**

Kisuke Urahara stood with lopsided smile, his hand on his stripped hat.

"Yoohoo~~Mr Arrancar~~Are you just going to stand there~~" cooed Urahara in his sing song voice, waving at Grimmjow.

"Tch, another pain in the ass has shown up" spat Grimmjow.

"I'm well aware you're in no condition to fight, after all, you DID scoot from my place after Yoruichi had her way with you….so then, what's it gonna be? If you wanna leave, this is your chance"

" _Damn, looks like I gotta use my Zanpakuto for someone like him…..Fuck!"_ gritted Grimmjow, reaching for his Zanpakuto.

"Oh so that's your move eh?" remarked Urahara, pointing Benihime in response. "Well now, I suppose it might make it worthwhile to fight you in your released state"

"Hmph, let's see how you get after seeing this….now **Grind,**.." before he could finish however, a crack appeared in the space behind them and grew wider and wider, and finally opened up to reveal a dark, black space behind it, and a figure emerging from within. Ulquiorra, the 4th epsarda made his way into the battlefield, with the same emotionless expression.

"Ulquiorra…what are YOU doing here?" rasped Grimmjow.

"It would seem you ran into some unexpected trouble after all, just like Dr Weil predicted. Lord Aizen was skeptical at first, but then Dr Weil insisted that one of us esparda be sent over just in case. I hadn't expected another soul reaper with such high spirit energy to be residing in Karakura town and one who could escape my pesquissa at that. I admit, we've sorely underestimated our enemies, Urahara Kisuke" said Ulquiorra calmly. "And besides, you won't be of much use if you released your Zanpakuto anyways, atleast not with just one arm" he finished, looking towards the blue haired arrancar.

"Tch, I didn't ask for your help, Ulquiorra, I could've done this myself!" he declared.

"Don't get any ideas, I'm not doing this for you, I'm only here under the orders of Dr Weil and Lord Aizen. Now why don't you take care of the other soul reaper and make yourself useful. In fact, with that kid there, I'm sure even in your state you can manage. I'll handle Kisuke Urahara" replied Ulquiorra.

"Hmph, first that brat and now you, everyone's treating me like a pushover! If only I had my arm…." Muttered Grimmjow under his breath, speeding away in the direction of where he could sense Megaman fighting.

As he left the battlefield, both fighters watched each other intently, neither moving a muscle.

"So it seems it's just the two of us now" commented Urahara. "You're really confident, you didn't even hesitate to send him away, even after having seen me fight back when you came here. You really are that confident in your abilities huh?"

"That may be, but you are forgetting something, I've seen you fight to your best but you haven't seen what I can do. I don't think you're in any position to be worrying about me" said Ulquiorra calmly.

"Allright then, show me, Mr Esparda!" grinned Urahara, charging forward. Ulquiorra didn't budge an inch. Urahara then aimed across slash downwards, but before the instant it made contact, the arrancar swiftly moved his hand out of his pocket and caught the blade. Then, the ex 12th division captain saw a finger slip in between the hand that was holding his blade, and point towards his face. A small green glow appeared. Urahara gasped, kicked Ulquiorra in the gut, thus retrieving his Zanpakuto and then quickly put some distance between themselves and paused for a second. The cero blasted away just inches away from where he was moments ago. If he hadn't dodged it, he would've been in some serious trouble and Yoruichi would've killed him for being so careless.

"Phew, that was a close one! Looks like this'll take a while after all"

 **Back at the Kurosaki Residence-**

"What was that?!" inquired Isshin, confused. Seconds ago, this kid's reaitsu was dropping and now, it's back at full strength. Never had he heard such a thing taking place, normally a person's reaitsu would need time to recover by absorbing the reaitsu in the surroundings, and in a place like the world of the living, where reaitsu is much scarcely present that the soul society and hueco mundo, it would take much longer.

"Nothing really, but if you really need to know, it's a capsule stored with reaitsu. Consuming it allows me to recover my reaitsu during a battle" answered Megaman. "But enough talk, if you've got something up your sleeve, now would be a good time to show it"

"Heh, it doesn't matter how many times you restore your strength, kid. You're still no match for me" Isshin then used flash step to close in on Megaman and then curled his middle finger and thumb, pointed it at his face, and flicked Megaman's forehead, sending him flying through some buildings. Megaman did an aerial backflip to recover from the hit, and formed a few metallic discs from his reaitsu and threw them in Isshin's direction. The soul reaper didn't even bother to deflect projectiles that came from a mile away and simply avoided them by moving out of the way. But soon he realized his mistake and was a bit too late to notice the glowing blue knuckle that hit him squarely in the chest. Isshin screamed with pain and doubled over, gasping to recover from the hit. Just then, another presence made itself known. The blue arrancar had returned.

"What?! Why is he here? Did something happen to Kisuke?" Concerned, Isshin tried feeling the reiatsu of Kisuke, and along with his, found another arrancer spiritual pressure, one much stronger than the two present here. It seems the two were engaged in combat. Megaman too then joined up with Grimmjow.

"I hate to do this, but the mission comes first. If we team up, we should be able to take care of him" remarked Megaman. Grimmjow just grunted.

"Aww come on, now I gotta fight both of them?! Gimme me a damn break already!" groaned Isshin, gripping his Zanpakuto tightly. "Take this, **Getsuga Tenshou!** " A colossal blue energy wave shot out from his Zanpakuto, engulfing both the arrancars in its fierce pursuit. The wave travelled higher and higher in the air till it disappeared into the moonlight cloudy sky, splitting the clouds in the vicinity as it went past.

"I know you're out there! **Raikouhou!** " cried Isshin, turning the other way. An enormous lightning beam shot flew out of his palms just as the two reappeared there. It exploded violently sending Megaman flying in a cloud of smoke.

"Why you!" cried Grimmjow and charged forwards with his palm charging up a cero. Disappearing with a sonido, Grimmjow reappeared behind Isshin and fired. The red beam steadily sped towards the soul reaper, but he turned and struck the beam with his Zanpakuto and with all his effort heaved it upwards, sending it flying harmlessly. Immediately however, the blue bomber sent another streak of lightning, which struck Isshin before he had time to react. The explosion left him with slight burns here and there, and a light smell of burning flesh hung in the air.

"Two can play at this game" smirked Megaman.

"Don't get distracted now!" came a voice from behind, and before he could turn he was kicked hard in the gut by Grimmjow, and sent stumbling away to the ground. The two followed after him to the ground. Isshin backflipped and vanished again in flash step. A second later he appeared behind Grimmjow, and sheathed his sword.

"Huh?" A deep gash then sliced across Grimmjow's torso, spurting out a streak of blood. "Guhh!" pain shot across his body, and he clutched his body with his one hand and knelt down.

"That should keep you from moving for a while" said Isshin. "Now all that's left is you. It's no use, no matter how many techniques you use, it won't help much if my reaitsu is greater than yours. A battle between spiritual beings is a battle of their spiritual pressures. The greater power always subjugates the weaker one. So even if your techniques can have deadly effects, they are drastically cut down if my overall power is greater than yours. Just like that time stopper move of yours. My son just happened to have a weaker power than yours, so that worked. But in my case, I was simply slowed down" he said, turning towards Megaman.

Just then however, both of them were distracted by a soft voice from behind them. What they didn't realize was that they were just a few meters away from the Kurosaki residence.

"Huh…? Dad…? Is that you? What's going on? What's this commotion all about?" asked Karin in a sleepy and confused voice.

"KARIN WHY ARE YOU HERE?! GET INSIDE QUICKLY!" shouted Isshin in a frantic voice.

"Ah I see, so you're Karin Kurosaki, you made it much easier for me to find you. I'm sorry, but I have no choice. I have to eliminate you under orders from Lord Weil, I bear you no ill will. I truly am" said Megaman, and dashed towards Karin. She looked on helplessly, shocked, not knowing what was happening, or how to react after seeing her father as a Shinigami fighting a boy with a broken hollow mask.

"OH NO YOU DON'T" roared Isshin, and flashstepped in front of him and swung his sword with such force that along with Megaman, the nearby poles and trees were sent flying with him.

"You never learn, do you old man?! How many times will you continue to ignore me!" said grimmjow from behind, already charging up a cero. "Now the girl dies!" he said, firing it. The cero hit the spot where Karin stood and exploded violently, flinging dirt and debris all over the place. When the smoke cleared however, Karin was still alive, being protected by some transparent barrier, and a small charm floating in the air around her.

"WHAT THE-?!"

"KARIN, WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE, GET INSIDE!" screamed Isshin to his daughter. Karin flinched, with a scared expression at first and then nodded and turned to run inside.

"Oh no you don't! **Time Stopper!** " Everything froze in place and Megaman used sonido and punched the 'bubble' that Karin was enveloped in, since he couldn't attack when he used time stopper, unlike when he used flash stopper. She was sent crashing into an adjacent building, but still safe inside the barrier. Isshin tried to move but, his slowed speed didn't catch up to the blue bomber. "DAMMIT!" he cursed.

"Damn, that barrier is annoying!" snarled Megaman, and the effects of time stopper faded away. Isshin frantically rushed, taking advantage of the fatigue following megaman's use of time stopper and aimed a shakahou at him, but a figure appeared before Megaman and slashed it away with his sword. Grimmjow, stood with a smirk in his face. "You're not getting past me, old man! You're girl's gonna die here and now!" he declared.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY" growled Isshin, but at that instant, Megaman had already recovered and threw three metal blades at Karin.

" _That barrier should keep her safe, I should—"_ thought Isshin, but what he saw next would leave him broken for time immemorial. The blades, as soon as they made contact with the barrier sliced through them as if they never even existed, and the first two zoomed past harmlessly, breathing a second life into Isshin, but the third one struck her in the chest and went through, a look of horror etched on both his daughter's face and his mind that would never fade ever, as she fell down lifeless.

* * *

Kisuke Urahara arrived at the Kurosaki Residence following after Ulquiorra after the arrancar chased after the huge reaitsu spike of a soul reaper that practically drowned them with its immensity. During their fight, Ulquiorra turned wide eyed in the direction of the huge reaitsu, narrowed his eyes and disappeared in the direction and Urahara too followed suit. He realized that the reaitsu belonged to Isshin, but didn't think why he would need to exert so much power and endanger the entire town by going all out. Soon after they arrived, a quick look at the scene told them all they needed to know. Karin's lifeless body lie just a few feet away from her house, Megaman and Grimmmjow both were insanely injured and their lives were hanging by a thread. Megaman was somehow able to continue, but Grimmjow was out for the count. The damage to the surroundings was catastrophic. Many of the buildings' front section and the road was shaved away, as if a huge tidal wave had hit town. It seemed as if Isshin had used his Getsuga Tenshou, which was also why the two were in the state they were in now. Isshin then screamed "YOU BASTARDS! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! **BURN, ENGETSU!** "

"Isshin no!" shouted Urahara, but to no avail. The entire area was covered by the flames of Engetsu's release, and his spiritual pressure rose to titanic heights. Ulquiorra closed in on Megaman and Grimmjow, and said "This mission is over, we can't fight him as we are now, retreat"

Megaman simply nodded, clutching his arm and limping towards the garganta that Ulquiorra created. Ulquiorra then supported Grimmjow over his arm and proceeded to leave.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!" Isshin then aimed a Getsuga Tenshou at the trio, and Megaman, putting together all of his remaining strength, shot a black hole bomb and released it immediately before it made contact with the attack. The vacuum created by the attack couldn't absorb the sheer force of the Getsuga tenshou of a released Engetsu, but it did slow it down till the trio made their escape.

"This isn't the end, Isshin Kurosaki" mouthed Ulquiorra, looking back, as the Garganta closed on him. The getsuga tenshou, free of the black hole bomb's pull, proceeded in its path of destruction, continuing to destroy more and more of the town. Isshin then powered down, dropped to his knees, and as the rain fell, even kisuke could tell the tears that hid behind the torrent of rain that fell over his beaten form.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki finally woke, feeling terrible and with wounds all over his body, and with a terrible headache. The last thing he remembered was fighting that strange arrancar kid, and getting beaten around before losing consciousness. He slowly picked himself up from the dirt, and could barely make smoke rising from a distance away, which he also realized was the direction of his house.

" _Dammit!Karin, Yuzu, they're in danger!_ _How long was I out?!"_ thought Ichigo frantic, immediately rushing towards the direction not caring about the pain coursing through his body.

" _Please be alive!"_ he prayed with all his might as he made his way there. There was an eerie feeling in his gut which made it all the more worse. When he got there, he didn't know what scared him more; the sight of his father in Shinigami outfits or him kneeling bent over crying, broken and beaten or the body of his sister lying lifeless next to his father and Urahara, who bent over his father trying to console him. Wide eyed, he only remembered the scream of denial he let out that tore through the heavens before the darkness took over him again.

 **A/N:- Wow that took a lot of time to write! I hope this chapter is better than the others, since I put in a lot of thought, and went through many rewrites to arrive at this. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for your fav/follow/reviews! I was planning to write another fanfic, which is why I may take a little longer to update. Once again, sorry for taking so long and I hope it is worth the wait.**


	14. Chapter 14: Karin and Axl

**Hey guys, It's been more than a month since my last update, sorry about that… I was really busy with my other crossover story. Anyways, I've made yet another fan art for this crossover in my deviantart page, my id is sreshtiyer. Do check it out as well. Without further delay, here's the next chapter**

 **Chapter 14: - Karin and Axl**

"… _Lit…gi…Littl…..gir…."_

The unconscious figure of Karin Kurosaki slowly stirred, and slightly opened her eyes. She could see light filtering through some tree tops, like golden rays pouring out of the clouds and penetrating through the trees. She seemed to be in some forest of some kind, her memory still very hazy. As she tried to make sense of her surroundings, she could hear a voice right next to her.

"…Little girl…" said the voice, shaking her gently. Rubbing her eyes, she turned to look at the owner of the voice. She could see a pair of gentle, forest green eyes staring at her, with a concerned smile on his face. The guy, around her brother's age, had short spiky, orange hair tied in a small ponytail, and spiky bangs covering his face. There was a cross shaped scar across the middle of his face, running above his nose. He was wearing an attire very similar to a Shinigami's attire that she used to see her brother wear, except that his shirt was white and had thin, black strips running along the sides.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Where am I…..?"

"From what I heard from the residents here, we're in the Soul Society's Rukongai District 1 Junrinan" he replied.

" _Soul Society? That means I'm really dead…the last thing I remember was that hollow-guy throwing something at me, and a sharp pain in my chest….I guess he must've killed me with that attack"_ she thought with a glum expression, looking down at her chest to see some evidence of injury, but there was none.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"No…..it's nothing" she replied, regaining her composure. "So, who are you anyways?" asked Karin Kurosaki looking at the man with the spiky orange hair.

"Me? I'm Axl, a maverick hunter. This may sound weird, but I'm not actually from this world" he replies.

"Duh, of course you're not, this is the afterlife not the living world" she replies in a matter-of-fact way.

"Oh I didn't mean that, I meant I'm from another dimension, a completely different place from this one, a futuristic world" he explains.

"Huh?Another dimension? And what do you mean by 'Maverick Hunter' " asks Karin, with a questioning and confused look.

"Oh it's like this.." said Axl, and spent the next half hour explaining about reploids, mavericks, maverick hunters and all the way till the end of the elf wars.

"Finally, there was only one obstacle left, the evil reploid who took over Zero's original body, Omega. His power was insane….the three of us combined couldn't handle him. He even had the power of the mother elf at his disposal. And that's when Omega got me with a huge blast of energy. The next thing I remember was hearing mother elf saying something about sending me, X and Zero to another dimension. But there was some distortion and I got separated from the others and ended up in a place called the valley of screams. Then I occupied one of the 'blanks' there and got the form you see now. From there, mother elf made another portal to the soul society after explaining everything to me and I've been here for the past few days. I do wonder though…how X and Zero have been doing in my absence" he finished, looking at the sky. Karin remained silent for what seemed an eternity, slowly digesting all that was said to her by Axl. It was an incredulous story; one she would've never believed. But then again, she never believed that her brother could be a Shinigami, heck, she didn't even think Shinigami existed! So this didn't seem so farfetched after all that happened recently into consideration.

"So what's your deal? I've never seen you around here…although, I've never seen someone this young in a place like this" said Axl with a sad expression.

"I…I'm new here, I got killed after getting caught in between a battle between my Shinigami brother and a hollow, and when I woke up, well…that's when you found me here." She replied.

"Is that so….I'm sorry" said Axl apologetically.

"It's ok….and besides, I want to return to my brother to let him know that I'm in the soul society…...knowing my family, they'd drown themselves in guilt, especially Ichi-nii, after mom…." She said in a murmur, drifting off.

"I see…well, I think it would be impossible for the dead to return to the living, but if you were a reploid I guess you could just be rebuilt….." remarked Axl, scratching his head "wait what am I saying, reploids don't exist here…hey, didn't you say your brother was a Shinigami?" questioned the ex maverick hunter.

"Yeah, his name is Ichigo Kurosaki" replied the younger of the Kurosaki siblings.

"Then it's simple. We can go to the seireitei and ask them to let you meet up with your brother in the living world. Shinigami can travel between the worlds noe? So we just ask one of his acquaintances to take you to the living world where your brother is" suggested Axl.

"What's the seireitei?" she asked.

"Oh, you see that tall white structure in the distance?" said Axl, pointing towards the said structure in the horizon. Karin replied with a nod. "That's the sereitei, the place where Shinigami reside. I heard there is a gate keeper at the west entrance who knows some called substitute soul reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, I think that might be your brother" said Axl. Karin jumped in recognition of her brother's name.

"That's the one!" she said.

"Then it's settled! Let's go meet this gatekeeper guy!" he grinned.

"Yeah…..thank you for helping me" she said, smiling.

"Think nothing of it, young lady….as a maverick hunter, it's my job to protect humans in their time of need!" remarked Axl, making a pose. Karin sweatdropped.

"Oh, I don't believe I've introduced myself, I'm Karin Kurosaki" she said.

"Alright then, Karin, let's go get your brother!" said Axl, and after an affirmative nod from Karin, the two left together.

 **World of the Living-**

Ichigo Kurosaki blinked a few times, struggling to fight the sensation of drowsiness that was pulling him back to the darkness. After a few tries, he could keep his eyes open long enough to make sense of his surroundings. He could see the familiar figure of Tessai hovering over his head.

"Tessai-san?" he called out sleepily.

"Hey boss, he's coming to!" shouted Tessai in the other direction. Kisuke Urahara then made his way into the room.

"Kurosaki-san, do you feel ok now?" asked Urahara.

"….Wh…..where am I?"

"At my place, with all the others, even your father and your sister are here as well. We figured this would be the best place for them to stay after what happened" explained Urahara, "but I'm sorry, Karin was….."

Upon hearing Karin's name, a flash of memories flooded his mind, and the events of the last battle all came into him. With a sudden movement, he jerked awake, with a desperate expression on his face. But right at that moment, sharp pain shot up his body. But that didn't stop him from reacting to the things that were coming back to him from the last battle.

"Karin! Urahara-san, where is she! Please, you have to tell me! Hurry! They'll kill them both!" he shouted frantically. There was a commotion outside the door, and a group of people practically tore through the door and entered inside. The huge group consisted of the soul reapers from the soul society who remained here, Ichigo's school friends who were at Urahara's base, Yoruichi, Isshin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki.

"Ichigo!" cried Tatsuki.

"He finally woke up! Man, look at all those wounds, how is he even alive?! He practically looks like a mummy!" said Keigo worried.

"Does he know?" asked Ikkaku.

"Hush now, we can talk about that later" reminded Toshiro.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?!" asked Orihime, edging in close to his face, with a worried expression on her face.

"You guys! Are you all alright?! What happened to those two?" asked the substitute soul reaper frantically, looking around searching for his family.

"Calm down, Ichigo, like I said, the only one who's in any danger is you, and if you keep moving around so much, you're going to open up those wounds of yours again. And let me tell you, it's literally a _miracle_ that you're even able to sit up. We found you with all your reaitsu depleted, multiple organ damage, fractured bones and a ruptured lung, burn wounds, slash marks and even foreign reaitsu that was worsening your condition beyond that. In all my life of hundreds of years, I've never seen anyone in the same condition as you are now. If it wasn't for the help of Dr. Light here and Kisuke, you'd be dead" explained Yoruichi. Ichigo then looked down at his body for the first time and what he saw horrified him so much that even though he tried to scream, no sound came out. Everything beneath him was a mangled mess, and the bandages were barely keeping his wounds from reopening. Pain shot across his body from all over, as if it existed everywhere in his body and didn't originate from a single spot. Ichigo flinched violently from the pain and went back to lying down.

"Please Kurosaki-san, you need a lot more rest before you're in any shape to be moving around. I've done my best I can for now, but I'm more used to fixing robots, so learning the skill to work with reaitsu healing methods wasn't easy in this short time. Perhaps if I had a little more practice I could've patched you up better. Anyways, I did find a way to keep your Bankai from powering down, so that too helped you to remain alive. However, the downside being that the strain from being in your bankai state will cause you to have spasms from time to time. But you'll get used to it and as your reaitsu recovers in your Bankai state, you should heal faster too" added Dr. Light. "But if you should really thank someone, it would be him" he finished, pointing to a middle-aged man of average height wearing thin, frameless glasses and a plain grey suit with a light blue shirt and a tie adorned with Quincy crosses. He had narrow blue eyes, and was fair-skinned with white hair.

"Are you…..a quincy?" asked Ichigo, albeit uncertainly.

"I'm the doctor who saved your life, that is all you need to know. And you're not going ANYWHERE until I feel like it, got it?" he replied sternly. "And like a certain someone already said, I've seen people in the morgue in better conditions than you are, so if you have any respect for the time I've taken to patch you up, you'll stay put right here" After that, Ichigo simply lowered his head and kept quiet.

"Hmph, he just says whatever he wants" remarked Uryu. "But seeing you like this, I can't really complain can I?" said Uryu in a sad tone, "especially after….."

"Uryu!" said Chad sharply, alerting him before he could do any damage.

"It's alright, I think he has the right to know what happened to his family" came a voice from the back, and everyone turned to look at the new members that entered the already crowded room. There were many sorts of reactions, from various members. Toshiro and Rangiku had wide eyed looks of surprise and recognition, Ryuken had an irritable look on his face, Kisuke and Yoruichi had welcoming looks and the others simply had confused looks. But the most extreme reaction was from Ichigo, who watched his father, in Shinigami attire no less, with his sister Yuzu by his side. The absence of his other sister caused him to panic, and seeing his father in Shinigami attire even more so.

"…Captain Shiba, is that you?!..." came the shocked recognition from both Toshiro and Rangiku. Following this, the remaining soul reapers followed suit.

"What?! Captain?!" exclaimed Renji.

"Ichigo's father is a soul reaper?! AND a captain at that?!" said Rukia with wide eyes.

"Which squad captain was he? I've never heard of anything about a captain shiba…" said Ikkaku.

"I do have a faint memory of someone by that name, although I heard he disappeared some 20 years ago" said Yumichika.

"…Dad, what is this?! Why are you in soul reaper uniform?! Answer!" shouted Ichigo, still wide eyed.

"Tch, seeing you like that once again brings back bad memories. It makes me sick" snarled Ryuken.

"But all this time, he never acted whenever there was a hollow nearby, it makes no sense" said Uryu.

"Yeah, he would show no sign of being affected by any spiritual energy, be it hollow, soul reaper or arrancar" agreed Rukia.

"…I'm sure you all have a lot of questions. It was my foolish decision of keeping everyone in the dark and my own arrogance that led to Karin's death…I'm sorry, Ichigo" he said with a remorseful tone, kneeling down in front of him. Yuzu, who was at his side and continuously crying, did so even more. The entire room went completely silent. The words said by his father still ringing in his head. Karin was dead…there was no way he could believe that, but right at that moment, he remembered the last image from the previous night he saw right before losing consciousness, the image of seeing the lifeless body of his sister supported by Urahara and his dad, in soul reaper attire, kneeling down.

"…...It was that arrancar wasn't it?..." asked Ichigo slowly. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly stood up, gripped his sword and got ready to rush outside. Noting this, several members nearby restrained him.

"IT WAS HIM WASN'T IT! I'LL KILL HIM! THAT BASTARD! LET ME GO! I'VE TO AVENGE KARIN! .GO!"

"STOP ACTING LIKE A FOOL!" retorted Tatsuki, slapping him hard. The substitute soul reaper stopped struggling, and watched his childhood friend surprised. His cheeks stung, but he didn't pay any attention to that. "YOU GET TO THAT ARRANCAR OR WHATEVER AND THEN WHAT? TO GET YOURSELF KILLED AGAIN?! DO YOU HAVE ANY GRATITUDE FOR THE PEOPLE PRESENT HERE, WHO BOUGHT YOU BACK FROM THE BRINK OF DEATH?! DO YOU?! ARE WE NOTHING TO YOU?!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, on the verge of tears. Ichigo felt ashamed of himself, that he made an iron lady like tatsuki arrive at the verge of tears. The others watched silently as well.

"Kurosaki-san, you really should let me finish" said Urahara, and Ichigo turned towards him.

"Your sister, what happened to her is indeed sad, but there is still a way you can meet her" hearing this, Ichigo gasped.

"…..Really?!"

"Yes, did you forget? Your sister was human, and once a human dies, they go over to the soul society. We can alert the soul reapers in the soul society to help look for your sister" he said simply.

"Why of course! The soul society! That's where Karin should be right now!" said Rukia excitedly. Her death hit her hard too, since she had spent considerable enough time with the Kurosaki siblings.

"..R..really?! I can really see Karin-chan again?!" asked a sobbing Yuzu.

"Of course, all souls that die go on towards to the soul society. Its only if they have any regrets that they stay behind here as lost souls. But I've already checked for her spiritual pressure, and I can't sense it here. So she MUST be in the soul society" assured Yoruichi softly.

"I see…thank god…." Said Ichigo, calming down a bit.

"That solves one thing, but, I think you owe all of us an explanation, don't you, captain?" reminded Toshiro.

"Captain, you really need to learn to read the mood! Poor Ichigo just got over his sister's death!" scolded Rangiku, and Toshiro only scowled at him back.

"No…Toshiro's right. I too remember seeing my father in Shinigami attire yesterday with my sister. Before I go, I need to know everything" He turned to Isshin. "I don't know what your intention was in hiding that fact, but I don't give a damn about it now" spat Ichigo. "Depending on your explanation, I'll decide how I should act"

"Ichigo!, that's not the correct way to-"

"Correct way to what?! To talk to my dad, who hid something so important?! If he hadn't done that, maybe I could've worked with him together and probably saved Karin's life!" shouted Ichigo back.

"…..You're right, it IS my fault…I had never anticipated anything like this, so I guess I have no choice. You have a right to know. I would have saved this for when you were a little older, but given what has happened, it's time you all know" said Isshin. "This is a long tale, so you all might want to grab a seat" Everyone in the room, simply sat wherever they found space, and Ichigo's father continued his tale.

 **Seireitei, Captain's meeting-**

Following the trial of the ex-reploids in front of the members of the gotei 13, another captains' meeting was held to evaluate their performance and to decide their positions as part of the gotei 13. All the captains were present, except for Kenpachi.

"Now how could that buffoon be late for a captain's meeting?! All that muscle head does anyways is slack off every day!" said Soi-Fon irritably.

"You should take it a little easy, Soi-Fon, after all, he has lieutenant Yachiru with him always, and as sad as it is, she isn't known for her acute sense of direction…." Said Shunsui Kyoraku deadpanned. "My guess is that he's lost his way" Soi-Fon just scowled. And although Byakuya didn't show it, he was getting annoyed as well.

"It would be rude to start off without all the captains present on a meeting such as this, why don't we wait for a few minutes to see if he does turn up?" suggested Unohana.

"Very well, since this meeting concerns each squad, it would be pointless to start without all concerned captains present. As captain Unohana suggested, we have no choice but to wait till Captain Zaraki returns" boomed the captain commander. As soon as he finished however, the doors to the captain's chamber flung open, revealing Captain Zaraki. However, he wasn't alone. On his shoulders were two figures hanging limply, struggling to keep hold.

"Kenpachi, so you finally show your sorry face! Where have you been all this time? Taking a nap?!" growled Soi-Fon.

"Heh, I had some business on the way, and besides, I found sometin' way more interestin' "he rasped, and lowered the two figures to the ground, which were revealed to be normal looking souls from the Rukongai.

"Captain, why do you have citizens from the Rukon District here in a captains meeting?!" asked Byakuya, visibly annoyed this time.

"These two had the most interestin for me ta tell, I believe it has something ta do with our new members" snickered the 11th division captain.

"Oh? But why bring them here? Surely you could have listened to them and told us yourself. And besides, ordinary citizens from the Rukon district cannot possibly withstand the presence of so many captains, so-" Ukitake stopped midway as he realized the situation. Not only were these two able to be so close to captain Zaraki, someone with an immense spiritual energy, but they were also able to withstand the presence of the other captains here. This fact hit the other captains as well.

"What?! How can such ordinary people stand so close to us captains?!" remarked Captain Komamura.

"The spiritual energy of that orange haired guy…it's the equivalent of a seated officer!" said Soi-Fon, surprised.

"Very interesting indeed" said Captain Kurotsuchi with glee.

"I suppose you have something to tell us, isn't that why you are here, ningen?" asked Captain Yamamoto.

"Yes, thank you captains, for allowing me here. My name is Axl, comrade of the reploids…..ex-reploids X and Zero, and this here is-"

"Wait, you are acquainted with X and Zero?!" asked Ukitake.

"Yeah, we are from the same world after all, I was also an ex-reploid. So they all made it here after all?!"

"Yes, in fact, they all demonstrated their abilities earlier so as to be part of the Gotei 13 and fight against the resurrected enemies from your world" said Unohana. "In fact, now that I recall, I remember them talking about another comrade who fell in battle during your final fight with this 'Omega' person"

"Yeah, that was me. After I died, I woke up here in the Rukon district a few days back and Mother Elf explained the situation to me. We were supposed to be resurrected together, but there was a distortion and I got separated from the others. Since then, I've been searching for them. But that wasn't what I came to talk about today. Actually, it's more for her." Finished Axl, pointing to the figure next to him.

"I see. Well, your friends are here, and in fact, we've called them here to meet us after our meeting so that we may assign them to their respective squads. They should be arriving soon, so you'll get to see them soon enough. But who's this? Another comrade of yours?" asked Kyoraku.

"Um…not exactly. I found her just recently, and she says that her brother is a Shinigami and wanted to meet him"

"Hello…I'm Karin Kurosaki, do you know where my brother Ichigo is? He is also a soul reaper so you know him right?" she asked in a small voice. There was a stunned silence in the hall. Kenpachi just smirked.

"….W…..wait, so you're Ichigo Kurosaki's sister?!" exclaimed Ukitake.

"Who would've thought!" remarked Kyoraku.

"Yes, there was a battle yesterday with some hollow-like guy, and I got caught in the crossfire. I saw my dad fighting those things, but one of those attacks hit me, and that's when I ended up here" she explained.

"Your dad is a soul reaper too?! Ichigo has a soul reaper as his father?!" said Komamura wide eyed. There were murmurs amongst the soul reaper captains. Even the head captain was visibly surprised.

"Young lady, what was your father's name?" he asked.

"Isshin Kurosaki" she replied.

 **Damn that took a long time to write! There were a lot of things I had planned for this chapter, but I wanted to split it in two chapters, so the reunions/reactions to this one will continue in the next. As usual, if you feel that I need any corrections at any place, do point them out in the reviews! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time.**


	15. Chapter 15: The lull before the storm

**Hey folks, so I'm back with another chapter. Anyways, the updates will be once every two weeks. Why two weeks? Because I need to work on updating my other fanfic in the alternative week. Thank you so much for reading, and if you have any suggestions or reviews, feel free to drop them in and I'll reply as soon as I can or in the next chapter. You can support me by adding this fanfiction to your favorites/follow list. I also have a deviantart page where I release fanart for my story, you can check out my page at and support me there as well.**

 **Chapter 15: - The lull before a storm**

"Isshin Kurosaki" she said, following which there was utter silence in the chamber. There were varied reactions across the faces present in the room, mild to extreme shock, amusement and also a few confused looks.

"Y…You..You're captain Shiba's daughter?! And Ichigo is Captain Shiba's son?!" exclaimed Captain Komamura.

"Yeah, I also have a sister, Yuzu" she replied.

"Unbelievable" remarked Kyoraku. "Now it all makes sense, his immense spiritual pressure, that rivals that of a captain and his natural skill as a soul reaper. He's the prodigy of one of the noble houses"

"Yes you're right. I wasn't mistaken when I saw the resemblance between him and Kaien Shiba….they're related by blood! Kaien was Isshin's nephew after all!" pointed out Ukitake.

"This means that the ryoka brat is in the same level as Lady Yoruichi and Captain Byakuya!" said Soi-Fon.

"Now now, knowing that you still call him 'brat' Captain Soi-Fon?" teased Kyoraku, which earned him a glare back from the latter.

"Ichigo Kurosaki….to think that he was of a noble clan as well…." Said Byakuya in a small voice.

"Fascinating indeed, but why is his last name 'Kurosaki' then? Shouldn't it be 'Shiba' like all the members of the Shiba clan?" questioned Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

"My father took over my mother's name after his marriage, her name was Masaki Kurosaki" explained the younger of the Kurosaki siblings.

"I see…" boomed Yamamoto. "So he married a human after disappearing from the seireitei 20 years ago. I suppose Kisuke Urahara had a hand at helping him live out his life like a mere human"

"Head Captain, what would you suggest be done with young Karin now? Unfortunately, she cannot return to the World of the Living, seeing as how she died" asked Unohana in a sympathetic voice. Right then, the doors flung open again, and this time, a messenger from the stealth force knelt down with a message.

"What is this? We are in the middle of a meeting! How dare you to interrupt?!" shouted the Head Captain, tapping his cane sharply. The poor messenger shuddered rather strongly, and started backing away, shaking.

"Come now old man Yama, take it easy on the guy, let's hear what he has to say" said Shunsui, waving his hands. Some of the captains did however, raise their eyes after observing the manner with which Kyoraku spoke to the head captain.

"So go on then, don't keep us all waiting" he mentioned, looking in the direction of the messenger.

"Uh…Yes Sir, this is a message from Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya from the world of the living with an urgent report. He seeks an audience with the head captain immediately" he said.

"Wow, would you look at that! What a coincidence!" grinned Ukitake.

"Does he only need ta meet the old man here?" questioned kenpachi, who had been quite all this time.

"Um, no sir, the captain didn't mention anything like that"

"Good, cuz I'm in this too, I would like to see what Ichigo's been doin' all this while"

"Very well, we shall have an audience with Captain Hitsugaya as soon as this meeting is finished" said the head captain, and the messenger bowed and backed away. The attention of the captains was once again towards the head captain's words.

"Well, now that we need to hurry it up, I say we get straight to assigning the new guys to their respective squads. What do you think?" said Kyoraku.

"As far as that short guy, Phantom goes, I have no doubt that he should be in squad 2. Though his skill is almost as good as a seated officer, maybe even better than that lousy lieutenant of mine, I would still like to keep him as a regular officer and make him work his way upwards" said Soi-Fon. Some of the captains sweatdropped at her description of her lieutenant, but they all nodded in agreement nonetheless.

"Harpuia has the pride of a warrior, and shows the determination to fight for that which he believes in. He will be a worthy addition to squad 6. Once again, I would like to have him as a regular officer and make him earn his titles" said Byakuya. Once again, there were affirmative nods.

"Leviathan-chan should be in my squad~~~~She's got a such a nice-"

"I think she would be a good addition to squad 10. I've heard her specialty is ice, and we all know someone else in the same squad with that attribute" cut in Ukitake, before his best friend could make a fool out of everybody. Nevertheless, Soi-Fon, Byakuya, the head captain all glared at Kyoraku who was making a dreamy face thinking about Leviathan.

"I like the guts that guy who fought Iba showed, I would like to have him at squad 7. He relies on brute strength like me, and I would like to see what potential he holds" said Captain Komamura.

"All that's left are X-san, Zero-san and Ciel-san. It is a shame, but I will pass on these three. They would be much more useful in other squads" said Unohana.

"X seems like the kind who has a strong sense of justice, but is naïve all the same. I think he would do well in squad 5. And besides, he would be great company for lieutenant Hinamori with his soft nature" she suggested.

"I figure that might have been the case, he looked like the kind of guy who wouldn't harm a bug. Heck, he didn't even have any bloodlust when we fought. Hey old man, I want that Zero guy, he's much more fun!" rasped the spiky haired captain of squad 11.

"Very well. It seems all of you have thought about it thoroughly after yesterday's events and arrived at a decision. That only leaves young Ms. Ciel. Is there anyone who would like to suggest a position for her?" asked the old man. Everyone remained silent, not knowing where she would be best suited. She was clearly the most skilled of them all so far, and her skills didn't have any clear distinction. Finally, Mayuri spoke up.

"Did not her comrades mention that she was the most intelligent human alive in their world leaving aside this 'Dr. Weil' ? In fact, wasn't she the one responsible for creating the so called '4 guardians'? This means she holds ample information about the world she is from and a world that is completely unknown to me" he said, in his usual high pitched voice, and a growing smile. "This intrigues me to no end. I can't wait to see what she has to tell; it would be excellent research material!" he said, clasping his hands. "And we need _all_ the help we need to fight this war, don't we Head Captain?" he snickered. Some of the people shifted uncomfortably. The head captain sighed.

"Very well. There is certain truth to what you tell. Captain Kurotsuchi and Ms…..Dr. Ciel can work together and aid in the coming war. I expect to see great things from the Department of Research and Development. This meeting is now concluded" he declared, tapping his cane.

"Head Captain, sir? What about me?" asked Axl, whom the soul reaper captains had ignored up till this point.

"Unfortunately, we know nothing about you or your abilities. As such, I cannot assign you to a squad yet" said Yamamoto, looking at him. "Perhaps if at a later stage we were to get an opportunity to observe your skills….." Axl lowered his head in disappointed. He hated being the only one left out. "You may leave Karin Kurosaki here in our custody. If you wish to meet your old comrades, you may leave now, and one of our lieutenants will guide you to their place."

"Huh, me? Why do you want me to come along?" asked Karin.

"You wish to see your brother, do you not? We are going to meet up with them. We had sent a team of our soul reapers yesterday in anticipation of enemy attack after the trials concluded yesterday. It appears something serious really happened, judging by how you ended up in the soul society and with Toshiro's request for an audience with the head captain." Explained Ukitake. Karin nodded her head. "It's settled then"

"Oh alright then, I wanted to see X and Zero anyways, so I'll be on my way then" sighed Axl, and then he walked over to Karin. "Take care of yourself, 'K? Say hi to your brother for me" he said, rustling her hair. Karin blushed. Axl then made his way towards the exit.

"He'll make a fine soul reaper" said Byakuya. It was rare to see the captain of the 6th squad praise someone, but everyone figured he was impressed by the lad after he helped Karin get here safely. After everything was cleared up, the captains proceeded to the door adjacent to the head captain's chambers, that contained the giant screen with which they could communicate with the world of the living. The screen on the other side was installed at Orihime's house, when the team of soul reapers entered the world of the living the previous day. The head captain fed some of his spirit energy to the device and it lit up. The people on the other side were already waiting for some time. Their faces blinked into existence, and to everyone's surprise, there was a huge crowd gathered in front of the screen. This included the Soul Reapers, Ichigo Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihouin, a bunch of humans, and lastly, at the far back was Isshin Kurosaki with a young girl by his side. More so than that, what threw them aback was the state Ichigo was in. He was wrapped, head to toe, in bandages, and was seated in a wheelchair. Some of the spots in the bandages were still red, suggesting that those weren't still completely healed.

"Head captain? Can you hear me?" asked Toshiro, bringing their attention back to Toshiro.

"We can, Captain Hitsugaya. Tell me, what in the world has happened?! Why is Ichigo Kurosaki in such a state?! Why have so many people gathered here with you? Also, is that you, Captain Shiba?" asked the old man.

"Yes it is, head captain. You-" Before he could finish, an orange haired figure dashed forwards, occupying half the screen.

"Old man! Have you seen my sister?!" shouted the carrot top soul reaper, almost trying to reach out through the screen and grab the old captain, but being restrained in his wheelchair, the best he could do was cry out with outstretched hands. Again, the wounds in his hands started bleeding again.

"Ichigo, please, don't push yourself!" said Rukia cautiously. A Renji and Rukia went over to suppress him.

"Calm down Ichigo Kurosaki. What you seek is right here" he said calmly, stepping aside to reveal Karin who was hidden behind him all this time. As soon as their eyes met, both their eyes became as wide as dinner plates and Karin rushed forwards to meet her brother. Isshin and Yuzu also became speechless and pushed through the crowd.

"Ichi-nii! Dad! Yuzu!" she cried out, on the verge of tears. She couldn't take the condition that Ichigo was in, all trying to protect her.

"Karin….you're….!" choked Ichigo, unable to get the words out.

"I'm sorry, Karin….so sorry…" mumbled Isshin.

"Karin-chan…" sobbed Yuzu.

"So Isshin…..these are your three prodigies…" said Yamamoto.

"I don't want to interrupt your reunion, captain Shiba, Ichigo Kurosaki, but I would like to give my report of everything that happened last night to the head captain and the others present there" said Toshiro.

"Go ahead, Captain Hitsugaya. What monstrosity did this to someone like Ichigo Kurosaki?" urged Komamura.

"Right. It appears that our assumptions were correct after all. Last night, Dr. Weil and Sosuke Aizen sent in their forces, an unknown arrancar and an Esparda called Grimmjow Jaggerjaquez, the 6th Esparda. According to what Ichigo Kurosaki and Kisuke Urahara, the first two people to face them yesterday mentioned, they were here with the prime objective of terminating the Kurosaki sisters and any humans with high enough spirit energy in Karakura town. Their reasons for doing so are unknown. Two attacks were planned, one at the Kurosaki residence and the other at Kisuke Urahara's base. The attack at Urahara's base was warded off by Yoruichi Shihouin and Kisuke Urahara and the rest of the humans were protected by them. At the Kurosaki Residence however, Ichigo Kurosaki encountered the unknown arrancar. His power was formidable to say the least, as you can see from his condition. What was weird was his techniques; he was able to use a variety of reaitsu based attacks, like manipulating fire, lightning, gravity and so on." Explained the white haired captain.

"That's not all, he was able to hold his own against me without my sword released. I may have not used my powers for the last 20 years, but it would take some skill to keep up at my level. He also used some sort of capsule that completely restored his reaitsu. His techniques take a lot of spirit energy, but he restored them using that capsule of his" added Isshin. The soul reapers captains gasped.

"Oh is that so? I would _really_ like to meet him face to face now!" said Kurotsuchi with glee.

"Do you have no other information about this 'unknown' arrancar, Captain Shiba?" asked the Head Captain.

"Yes I was getting to that. When I told these people everything about what happened, it was Dr. Light here" said Isshin, making way for the ex-robot engineer "Who gave us a vital clue as to who it might be"

"And who might this be?" asked Kyoraku.

"Greetings, captains of the soul society. I am Dr. Thomas Light. I am from the same world as X. If you recall from what X might have told you all, I am his creator. I was also partially responsible for bringing them back to this world" he said. "And, the unknown arrancar from before was also from our world"

"There are arrancars in your world also?!" exclaimed Ukitake.

"Oh no, that's not what I meant. You see, before I made X, I made another robot who was like X, called Megaman. Based on Isshin-san's description, I have no doubt that the unknown arrancar is Megaman resurrected as a hollow. Also, as a robot, he could 'copy' the techniques of his enemies, but could only use 8 at a time, otherwise, he would go berserk and uncontrollable with too much power. But I'm sure Dr. Weil, who must have resurrected him removed that limiter, thus granting him the ability to copy infinite number of abilities at the same time making him more aggressive. Originally he was a kind and righteous robot….I can't stand what Dr. Weil has made him into. I don't even know if his original nature even exists…." He finished sadly.

"Thank you for telling us, Dr. Light. What happened is indeed unfortunate, but for his own good, Megaman needs to be stopped. If he is really the kind of person you said he was, I'm sure he wouldn't want himself to be seen as an evil being that slaughters innocent lives. For his own pride, we must put him out of his misery" said the stoic captain. "Ichigo Kurosaki…no, Ichigo Shiba…..that was a brave and noble feat that you did to protect your sister…I now understand what that truly means and thank you from the bottom of my heart for stopping me back then"

"I also did it for my own reasons Byakuya, you needn't thank me for that. And also, it's still 'Ichigo Kurosaki', even if I'm a part of the Shiba clan" he replied.

"Anyways, getting back to yesterday's battle, the 6th esparda Grimmjow, acted as a decoy allowing megaman to carry on an assault at the Kurosaki Residence" continued Toshiro.

"That guy was a monster…." Said Ichigo. "He could easily handle the power of my Bankai without even breaking a sweat. I might have died if not for my dad whom I heard saved me at the last second. When I came to, all I remember seeing was Karin's body lying lifeless next to Dad in his Shinigami attire along with Mr. Hat and Clogs"

"Yes. It appears that Captain Shiba did release his Zanpakuto after Karin got caught in the crossfire. They would've been killed, had it not been for another arrancar, this time, another esparda aiding them in their escape" finished Toshiro.

"Speaking of which, what's your story Captain Shiba? What happened after you disappeared 20 years ago?" asked Kyoraku.

"I would not mind explaining that Shunsui, but right now, there is a crisis. After those bastards attacked Karin, I can't stay put any longer. I am going to train Ichigo for the future battles. You too might want to speed up training those new guys. We will need all the manpower we need if we are to stop Aizen. Speaking of which, the reason as to why I left the soul society 20 years ago, although I won't get into the details right now, I can tell you one thing; The vizards aren't the only ones who suffered at the hands of Aizen. You can hear the details from Toshiro once he makes his way back to the soul society." Stated Isshin. "Me, Kisuke and the others present will defend Karakura town in case any such attack were to happen again" The captains were left with questioning looks, but figured there was some truth in his words and they could always demand a full length report from Toshiro.

"I don't really understand what happened, but weren't you all sent in anticipation of an attack? Don't tell me that you didn't even engage the enemy in battle" grunted Kenpachi. "It seems Ichigo was the only one with the guts to fight..."

"It wasn't like that captain, by the time we arrived, the attackers had already fled. There was nothing we could do" justified Ikkaku.

"Tch, what a disappointment" came the reply.

"Ichigo…though you are wounded beyond belief but surely Orihime Inoue could have healed you in seconds?" asked Unohana.

"That's what we thought too Captain Unohana, but it seems there is some foreign reaitsu in his body that is preventing his body from recovering. Inoue's skill is being prevented from acting." Explained Yoruichi.

"Ichigo Kurosaki is an important battle asset to the upcoming battles. Captain Unohana will make her way to the World of the Living to heal all the members injured in yesterday's fight. The rest of the soul reapers that were sent yesterday are to return to the seireitei to help train the new recruits" commanded the old captain. "Captain Shiba, your daughter has the potential to become an excellent soul reaper. Her spirit energy is promising. Would you like to have her trained as a soul reaper? I leave this choice completely to you and your daughter" The ex-10th division captain remained silent. He never really wanted his family to go through any of this ever. All he wanted was for them to lead a quiet and peaceful life.

"I….I want to become a soul reaper!" declared the young Kurosaki, shocking both Ichigo and Isshin.

"Karin…!"

"I have always been protected by my brother, and in the end, all that happened was my brother getting himself almost killed for my sake. I never want to see my brother in such a sorry state ever! I want to become strong enough to stand on my own, and fight side by side when he needs me! Please, let me join you!" she said firmly.

"Your resolve is admirable, that is all I needed to know. Very well, from now on, you shall be trained to be a soul reaper" declared the head captain. "Captain Shiba, it is good to have you back. I wish you luck in training your son. Is there anything else you want to report, Captain Hitsugaya?"

"That will be all captain. I shall submit a detailed report once I am back in the soul society"

"Very well then. Let us be on our way" he said and turned to leave.

"Goodbye, brother, dad, Yuzu…I'll see you all later….." she said sadly, and departed along with the other soul reaper captains as the screen blinked to nothingness.

* * *

 **Hueco Mundo**

Aizen Sosuke and Dr. Weil were having an animated discussion when three figures interrupted the meeting. Along came Ulquiorra and Megaman who was supporting an almost unconscious Grimmjow.

"Well this is a surprise. You both are in a much worse shape than I thought" observed Aizen.

"You didn't tell us that we would have to fight that boy's father. That guy barely left us alive" breathed Megaman.

"Oh? Has Isshin gained his powers back already?" he wondered to himself, slightly amused.

"Who is this 'Isshin' Aizen?" asked Weil.

"He is Ichigo Kurosaki's soul reaper father. He was also the ex captain of the 10th division" came the bored reply. "I thought he lost all of his powers trying to save his wife 20 years ago"

"That adds a new variable in the mix; with him and Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihouin and the other soul reapers whom I sensed entering Karakura town yesterday, it would be foolish to carry out another assault without proper firepower. And tell me, is this all worth that 'Ouken' you keep telling me about? Do we really need to bother ourselves with a town as insignificant as that?"

"You underestimate the power that the ouken grants, old man and that of the soul king. Without him the three worlds will collapse into nothingness. The ouken is the 'key' to entering the realm of the soul king. Possess the ouken and you hold the key to the gates of destruction" said Aizen.

"In any case, I will need a few months to prepare that army of mine. Do you also not need a few months to break open the shield on the Hogyoku? It seems that this would be the perfect time to build our arsenal and prepare for a full frontal assault. The robot army that I will resurrect as arrancars will be more than a match for those pathetic soul reapers, not to mention, I already have about 80 of them, each of them as strong as megaman here ready to go….heheheheheheheheheheh!…..bwahahahahahahahahahaaha!" Aizen smirks and Ulquiorra simply closes his eyes, and Megeman looks on unbelievingly, as the old scientist's laughter could be heard echoing throughout the stone walls of Los Noches.

 **Dang, that took quite some time to write up in between my projects and exams! This concludes the entire attack on karakura town arc. Starting next chapter I will focus on X, Zero and the rest of the other's training, Zanpakuto awakening, and lots more. I really wanted to start the training segment in this chapter itself, but I wanted to finish up the loose ends which weren't explained in the last chapter, and honestly, it took up more time than I thought. I feel that there are some things that I mess up here and there that I am unable to find, if you do find something that I've probably made mistakes, please let me know in the reviews. Once again, next chapter will be released two weeks later. I'll see ya next time!**


	16. Chapter 16: - Time to train, Part 1

**After a long, loooooong time, I'm finally working on this story again! Sorry about the long hiatus, I was busy with my other fic, as well as a writer's block. But now, with inputs for my other fic, I've been able to write much better. There will be some changes in the writing style, dunno if I should consider them large or small changes. Also, the length of each chapter will be close to 2000 words max, since I believe that keeping things short and sweet is best for both me and you.**

* * *

 **Response to reviews**

 **tele61:- Yeah I'm aware of that. Just that there were 2 reasons for Omega and Sigma to get roughed up so badly by Urahara. One is that like Zero, they've not been here long in the bleach universe. It would still take a while before they regain their former strength. The other would've been explained much easier had I included a line I forgot to add for Urahara. He says something about how Weil's spiritual pressure not just hindered the good guys from using their full power, but Omega and Sigma as well, although not to the same extent. Thanks for pointing it out, and hope this clarifies it.**

 **Anonymous:- Why, thanks! Do continue supporting the story, and I'll try my best as well!**

 **Argonaut986:- Wow, that's a lot of reviews! Thank you so much, I'm super happy to know that there's someone who likes my story so much! So I decided to start writing again just so that I don't keep anymore readers waiting. Hope you continue to like my story, and any critique would be welcome. Once again, thanks!**

 **Guest:- Yeah I think so too!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: - Time to train, part 1**

An intense battle was being fought between father and son in the rocky training grounds of Urahara's shop, a few days after the events of the attack on Karin. With his body much more healed than before, Isshin didn't waste any time in keeping his word with the head captain about training his son. But he wasn't the only one; Urahara himself was engaging the others, namely Chad and Uryu. Orihime was to be put under Yoruichi. Ryuken who chose not to involve himself with Uryu chose to instruct young Yuzu instead. Captain Unohana, who initially preferred to leave with the rest of the soul reapers after healing everyone, chose to stay behind instead at Urahara's persuasion. She was watching the developments with some interest, the ones that caught her attention being Ichigo and Orihime in particular.

"You're not gonna best your old man with feeble intentions. Come at me like you mean it!" chided the middle aged Kurosaki.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" came the irritated reply. " _Damn, how's he keeping up with my bankai without even a sword release?! Is he really as powerful?!"_ he cussed to himself, trying to work up a strategy.

" _ **How pathetic….he's not even using his Shikai and yet you can't beat him even with your Bankai…."**_ Came a criticizing voice from within his head.

" _Shut up! I don't need you of all people to interfere now!"_ retorted the carrot top soul reaper. Meanwhile, Isshin closed in, and aimed a reverse roundhouse kick at him. The substitute soul reaper barely managed to avoid the hit.

" _ **I won't have it, such a pathetic display! IF you're gonna continue in this manner, I WILL take over instead**_ " came the angry warning.

" _It won't come to that!"_

"What's wrong, 'son'. Can't handle your old man?" he asked. "If you can't take me on at my base form, you can forget about protecting yourself, let alone someone else. Don't tell me you're still afraid of your 'Zanpakuto'"

"He's not! Old man Zangetsu is my Zanpakuto, and no one else, and definitely not that freak!" A disappointed grin spread across both Isshin and Hollow Ichigo/Zangetsu's faces.

"Even after you learn the truth, you refuse to accept it, even though it's the only rational explanation" remarked Isshin.

" _ **...Heh, I don't know why he even bothered, or why I do….but if this is needed to keep you alive, then I suppose I have to**_ _"_ Zangetsu took full control of his 'king's body, but made sure not to allow his hollow instincts to have complete control over their body. Ichigo, now in his inner world, could see the happenings of the outside, being reflected out of one of the windows of the building in front of him.

" _Wha….when did I…that bastard!"_ cursed Ichigo, smashing the ground.

"Well well well….look who's come out to play….can't bear to see my son being pushed around? Despite what you are, you still are a Zanpakuto in the end eh?" mocked Isshin. Not even bothering to answer, Ichigo, who's sclera had turned black and iris a bright yellow, reverted back to his Shikai state. Gripping the big meat cleaver of a weapon that his sword was, the hollow form of his zanpakuto rushed at the ex 10th division captain.

* * *

 **With Unohana**

"Hmm….normally a Zanpakuto could never materialize outside of the owner's will, unless the situation calls for it or if the will of its owner was weakened. But this one seems to have no problem taking over his body like that, and even use it for combat. Perhaps this is because of his nature as a hollow" said Unohana to herself, slightly interested at the scene. "Unfortunate or not, this will no doubt make him stronger" She then looks over at Yuzu and Ryuken. "That girl…..her reaitsu resembles not of a hollow or that of a human…..no, on the surface, she could be easily mistaken as a human…but deep down lies another, one that many thought was long forgotten…"

"Interesting isn't it?" questioned a smiling Urahara, lowering his hat. Those under him, Uryu and Chad were struggling to catch their breaths. "Because they're twins, despite their mother being a quincy and their father a Shinigami, they didn't inherit both powers like Ichigo did. Those were split at birth. Yuzu, having a stronger affinity to her mother, inherited her quincy nature. Karin, on the other hand, being more like her father, was born with Shinigami powers instead, and doesn't have a trace of the quincy's influence on her. Ichigo on the other hand, being the 1st, ended up with both. It's understandable why he'd be in such denial"

"Yes….after all, what little Yuzu inherited is _nothing_ compared to the other 'Zangetsu'" agreed the captain of the 4th division. "But seeing you talk like this reminds me of the time you were head of the research and development at the soul society 100 years ago….you always _were_ a step ahead of us all"

"My my….you overestimate me, Unohana san" came the reply from the candy shop owner, who fanned himself with his hand held Japanese fan.

* * *

 **With Yuzu and Ryuken**

"Um…Ishida-san, is this right?" asked the younger of the kurosaki sisters with uncertainty. A small wisp of blue light dissipating from her hands.

"You're doing fine, don't worry about it too much. You just need to get the feel of it" assured the stern quincy, in a tone much more strained but with much more care than he'd ever shown anyone "I…have some errands to run, keep working on them till I'm back" The enthusiastic but nervous girl gave a timid nod, and went back to trying to absorb reishi from the surroundings and materialize it. The quincy doctor took troubled strides to the outside, reaching out to his pocket for a quick smoke, only to realize that he was missing a lighter. Annoyed, he simply made a mini- reishi arrow from his fingers, and fired a small shot at the stick in his mouth, instantly lighting it. Letting out a deep puff of smoke, he allowed his mind to relax.

"Using your reishi to light a cigarette? Honestly now…and to think you pester your son about being careless with his powers" mocked a woman's voice, breaking the relaxing feeling that just came.

"And just what do you want?" he asked irritated.

"Disappointed that little Yuzu didn't live up to Masaki-san's expectations?" teased the former commander of the stealth force.

"What's that got to do with why-"

"Why else would you be here, away from everyone who're working their asses off training?" she questioned, coming closer.

"I could ask the same of you" he replied " At the very least, I didn't come out here just to be ridiculed by you"

"My..how cold. Fine, if you want to be left alone that much I'll leave…but you should know. She's not Masaki, no matter how much you wish she was, or anyone else for that matter or no matter how much she resembles her. You may think Isshin may be the one responsible for her death, but he regrets it even more than you, and he probably gets reminded of it every time that hollow of Ichigo's appears or even while looking at his daughters." She advised, before making her way back to the underground.

"Tch" scowled Ryuken, going back to his smoke. However for him, it didn't quite feel the same as before.

* * *

 **With Zero at Squad 11**

"What's wrong kid? Why'd you slow down? Don't go on spoiling my fun now!" mocked Kenpachi, posing in a questioning way in the training halls of squad 11. Not that it mattered in any way, since _all_ the halls in squad 11 were used for training, even the captain's chambers.

"Shut up! We've been going on for 5 hours now! Atleast slow down or something!" protested a panting Zero, still clutching his Zanpakuto.

"Like I give a rat's ass about it" said the captain of the 11th squad, looming over him.

"Alright then, guess I should finish this quick so I can finally have some peace and quiet!" challenged the blond, resuming his attack. The halls were once again filled with the sounds of clashing steel, but this time, more blood was shed than the previous bout, with Zero being able to cut him much more than before. Zero was superior in his technique and agility, but seriously underestimated the endurance the monster of a captain had. All he could hope was to tire him out eventually, but to his dismay, the captain actually liked being injured and fighting with him to the very edge. He didn't mind either, for once there was an opponent who was giving him quite the workout. Zero grinned with excitement, and continued his advance.

"Wow, would you look at that….he's been going at it for 5 hours already, and he can match the captain's moves without taking collateral damage" commented Ikkaku, who was getting bored being left out of the action.

"I'm quite surprised myself, but I wonder why he doesn't use any of his kido. He had no problem using it in the demonstration, but ever since he started fighting with the captain, he retaliated using only his Zanpakuto" added Yumichika.

"Probably, he wants to fight in the same platform as his opponent" theorized the bald reaper "But that's probably why the captain liked him enough to get him into our squad. Seems like Ichigo isn't the only one who's gonna keep things lively here"

"You can say that again"

* * *

 **With Harpuia and squad 6**

The green haired ex reploid sat with a confused look, as he looked around for a clue. His sparring partner Renji was nowhere to be found, and his captain, Byakuya's whereabouts remained a mystery after he went inside his manor to 'get something important'. " _It's a great honor that Captain Kuchiki himself invited you to his manor. He has NEVER invited anyone as far as I can remember. It must be something important for him to call you himself"_ he recalled the words left behind by his sparring partner after the red head was all too happy to get a break from the training sessions he'd been giving Harpuia. It during their last session that the captain felt he needed to stop them and invite Harpuia over. Finally, the soft steps of the straw sandals over the wooden floors of the kuchiki manner could be heard approaching. Out came the captain, but with two tea cups in his hand, and one of the servants of the manor placed a tray of steaming hot tea and some tea cookies. Placing a mat opposite to him, the servant welcomed the Lord of the mansion, until his stoic self took a silent seat on the opposite corner. Harpuia felt the need to question.

"Captain, what's the meaning of this?" he questioned confused.

"Silence boy. Do not interrupt me" came the sharp reply, and Hapruia silenced himself, waiting for the chance to speak again. Byakuya calmly poured some tea in both their cups, helped himself to a pair of cookies and did the same for the green haired reaper. Taking a sip in the most elegant manner, he finally spoke up.

"I have watched you fight against my lieutenant, and while I have no doubt you have skill, you still lack something. And that is what I will teach you today. Patience. Perseverance. You are too eager, too rash when it comes to taking decisions. You want everything to fall into place in an instant. And while it is not a bad thing to be determined to accomplish something, it is also important to let relax your mind and body once in a while. Brute strength is not what wins the fight. The ability to remain calm and controlled does. And that is the reason I have called you over today. Now, you shall do anything but fight. My lieutenant also need his rest, just the same as you. Slow down, and observe the world around you. Because if you remain that focused on what is simply ahead of you, you shall miss that which is right next to you" said the stoic captain, pointing to the falling sakura blossoms in the Kuchiki gardens. The sight and the meaning behind his superior's words slowly sank in, and he immersed himself in the calming and soothing atmosphere, all the while taking small and relaxed sips from his cup of steaming and delicious tea.

* * *

 **With Leviathan and squad 10**

Toshiro Hitsugaya was possibly having the worst day ever. Atleast that's how he felt. All this time, he cursed the moment when the thought of what would happen if his lieutenant and Leviathan ever teamed up. He'd already spent half the day playing their stupid game, and there was still no trace of them. Gritting his teeth, he flashstepped to another location. Agreed that this little game, as lowly as he felt it was, did help Leviathan conjure up creative ways to use her powers; like the ice clones that she's learnt to use whilst trying to avoid him and the icy wind that she'd learnt to bring forth while trying to freeze him on the spot. Unfortunately for her though, the latter technique almost got her caught, as she forgot Toshiro's immunity to ice based attacks. It was Rangiku who had to bail her out of that one. But the game was getting out of hand, and never had he expected that it would go on for almost the entire day. He tried hard to look for their reishi, and tried to pinpoint the location of the real ones. Unbeknownst to him, the ones he was seeking were right behind him, trying their best not to giggle and prevent their location from being discovered. They slapped each other hi-fi's.

"The ice clone was genius! I wonder how he'd react after finding _that_ one" snickered Rangiku.

"Ooh, that one! I wanna bet on him destroying it outright" chimed in Leviathan excitedly.

The white haired captain followed what he felt was the blue haired soul reaper's reishi, which led into a corner of the barracks of squad 10. With an accomplished sigh, he straightened himself.

"This is where it ends" he gasped, irritated. Not wanting to let her escape again, he dashed into the corner.

"No running away no-GAAH! DAMMIT!" he shouted out, tearing his eyes away from the scene as fast as he came. Even though he didn't make out all of it, he'd seen enough to know what those two had come up with. In front of him was the ice 'statues' of the two girls, posing seductively in a bikini. Without even looking, he destroyed them, letting out some of his frustration from that day.

"Teehee, looks like I won!" claimed the empress of the oceans from a rooftop nearby.

"Must be more pissed off than I thought…..this was fun!" grinned the orange haired beauty.

"Oh? Then perhaps I should have MY share today then" thundered a voice from behind, with a hint of satisfaction and frustration. Scared out of their skins, the two literally jumped back in reflex.

"Ca..captain! So nice to see you..!" greeted the orange haired reaper sweating slightly.

"So…I think I'll head home, all that training really wore me down" said Leviathan slowly, retreating.

" **I think not** " mentioned the silver haired prodigy, cracking his knuckles and his eyes glowing comically. It looked like it wouldn't be just Toshiro who'd have a bad time that day.

* * *

 **Ok, so I'm gonna split it up here. Like I said, I can only do 2000 words max, but to make up for the long absence, I added a bonus 1000 words more. Next chapter will focus on the situations of Fefnir, Phantom, Ciel, X and possibly even Axl and Karin. Thanks again for supporting me, and for reading this story! I'll try to bring in more soon.**


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